BBC Coventry and Warwickshire's Trish Adudu joined Imagineer Productions on Saturday 5 June at Coventry Transport Museum’s Festival of Cycling to encourage members of the public to sign up to be part of the Godiva Awakes Cycle Team by hopping on a bike and taking part in a virtual cycle ride to London.
Godiva Awakes is commissioned through Artists Taking the Lead, an exciting project forming part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and funded by Arts Council England. Imagineer Productions will create a ten metre high Lady Godiva, who will awake from her sleeping chamber in July 2012. She will be a symbol of justice for the 21st Century embodying the values of fair play, friendship, respect and courage that are at the heart of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In July 2012, Godiva will awake to a spectacular performance involving 2000 dancers, actors, aerialists, musicians, pyrotechnicians, carnivalists and young people in a procession marking the unveiling of this Lady Godiva for the modern age. Powered by 50 cyclists on a structure called the Cyclopedia, Godiva will then journey to London to play a part in the London 2012 celebrations.
Over the weekend 100 people jumped on the bike clocking up an average of 0.5km in 3 minutes each contributing to the journey Lady Godiva will take in 2012 from Coventry to London. Through taking part in the cycle challenge, each person has entered the draw for places on the cycle team. The draw, open to anyone aged 14yrs or over, will take place in Autumn 2010.
During the weekend, Imagineer Productions encouraged people to get involved through:
1. The virtual cycle to London – challenging the public to clock up as many miles as possible in 3 mins following the route Lady Godiva will take in 2012 from Coventry to London.
2. Arts workshops – Artist Kate Morris, inspired by the Godiva Awakes Cyclopedia worked with members of the public to create an extraordinary, re-styled, bike over the weekend.
3. Re-cyc-La Bike! – at intervals throughout the weekend chaos unfolded as five clowns unveiled their latest inventions.
Journalist and presenter Trish Adudu said: “The Godiva Awakes project creates an incredibly exciting opportunity for Coventry to engage in London 2012. I see Coventry as a sleeping giant and through projects like Godiva Awakes I hope we will finally wake up and believe we can perform on a national, and international, stage.”
Claire Maddocks, Director Imagineer Productions said: “Godiva Awakes is a once in a lifetime opportunity for people off all backgrounds from Coventry and the region to be part of London 2012. We want everyone - from people who have never cycled before to real cycling enthusiasts - to sign up to be part of the team that will power Godiva to London in 2012.”
Over the coming months Imagineer Productions will be encouraging people from Coventry and the West Midlands region to sign up to the team. Opportunities include completing a postcard asking people to say in 30 words why they would like to be part of the team (postcards to be available region wide and are available to download from www.imagineerproductions.co.uk); and through getting involved at the Festival of Invention in Coventry in September.
Once the Godiva Awakes Cycle Team are in place they will begin training together for the journey in 2012. For further information please visit: www.imagineerproductions.co.uk