A free community event to celebrate the 2024 Olympics launches in Stirling this week.
Go Forth Stirling, the city’s BID (Business Improvement District), is hosting a Mini-Olympics with fun and games for all the family in the pedestrianised section of Port Street.
The event kicks off this Friday July 26 – the same day as the Olympics Opening Ceremony in Paris – when participants will be able to send good wishes to Stirling athletes competing in France and have their photos taken on a winners’ podium.
The Mini-Olympics, which includes performances and workshops from leading football freestyler Ross Brown, takes place over two weeks and is the first of a series of events aimed at celebrating ‘Summer in Stirling.’
Josie Brown is the BID’s Events Officer who organised the event alongside Street Ambassador Gail Lamb and Communications & Partnership Manager Jitka Fleglova.
She said: “We wanted to give local people the chance to mark the 2024 Olympics with their own special event and came up with idea of a Mini-Olympics which offers fun activities and is a fantastic way to keep youngsters active during the summer holidays.
We have a variety of free games which families can take part in, a podium for photos and some demonstrations of amazing football freestyle skills from the talented Ross Brown. The event is also an opportunity for people to show their support for local athletes as they compete in France.
Stirling is a fantastic place to host events and successful experiences, such as the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and the recent Summer Sessions, have really highlighted the city’s civic pride and the positive economic impact of hosting a variety of different events. Our ‘Summer in Stirling’ initiative will continue to spotlight Stirling city centre as a must-visit destination and bring in an extra boost for our business community.”
The Mini-Olympics take place from 12 noon to 4pm on Friday July 26, Wednesday July 31, Wednesday August 7 and Friday August 9 in Port Street.
The first event will give participants the chance to compete in jousting, an egg race and a vertical jump competition and take photos on the winners’ podium. They can also send good luck messages to local Olympic athletes including seven swimmers from the University of Stirling who will be competing for Team GB in France.
The second session includes Yard Games with competitions including a Giant Snakes and Ladders plus a Bean Bag Toss while on Wednesday August 7, families can enjoy a Day of Sports as they try their hand on Rowing Machines and Battle Ropes provided by Pure Gym.
Meanwhile, special guest Ross Brown will be on hand to demonstrate his skills, teach participants how to perform their favourite football trick and compete in a Sub Soccer Shoot-out. The event finishes on Friday August 9 with a Closing Ceremony and a chance for families to test their speed with ‘Minute-To-Win-It’ style games.
Throughout the two-week initiative, participants can also purchase raffle tickets in a bid to win a family pass for this year’s Stirling Highland Games which take place on Saturday August 17.
Half of the proceeds from the raffle will go to local charity Paths For All whose mission is to make walking accessible for all ages and abilities.
Kevin Lafferty, Chief Executive Officer of walking charity Paths for All, welcomed the funding and said: “As a Stirling-based charity, we’re delighted to see this Mini Olympics event come to life. We’re inspired by our local athletes and excited to see families participating. While athletic feats are impressive, we also believe in the power of small steps – like daily walks – to improve everyone’s wellbeing. So this summer, we encourage everyone to get outside, support our athletes, and celebrate our city.
Every contribution to this event helps our cause. The funds raised will help us to support people to become more active, for a healthier community. We’re grateful for this opportunity and look forward to seeing Stirling come together for this exciting event.”
Full details of the Mini-Olympics can be found on a dedicated page of the Go Forth website – https://goforthstirling.co.uk/summerinstirling/
Go Forth Stirling BID represents more than 600 business owners with a key objective of increasing visitors to the city and devising initiatives to help make it a more welcoming environment for businesses and shoppers.
For more information, visit www.goforthstirling.co.uk
