24 March 2012

Blue Peter favourites Helen Skelton and Barney Harwood are hitting the road this summer for Blue Peter’s Big Olympic Tour – a series of live TV programmes and special free family events.

The events will be full of interactive games and activities for children age 6 to 12 and their families to try, and UK Athletics will be joining them to help get children in the mood for the Games.  So if you are interested in finding out more about athletics, this is your chance to test your running, jumping and throwing skills with a range of Academy Awards challenges.

Young athletes will also be able to try out a range of Olympic events, investigate the science of sport, go back in time to try out the Olympic Games of a bygone age, have a go at being a sports commentator, and lots more activities.

Blue Peter’s Big Olympic Tour will be broadcast from locations around the route of the Torch Relay and will be an ultimate guide to the Olympics for children, complete with fact-packed profiles of the biggest Olympic sports and interviews and master-classes with Olympic stars past and present.  There will also be premieres of brand new ancient Olympic themed Horrible Histories sketches, celebrity guest stars and retellings of some of the famous moments from the modern Olympic era.

After each live TV show, Helen and Barney*, plus their guests will host the special free events for families run by BBC Learning, which will include a host of interactive action-packed activities. 
 
BBC Learning’s Blue Peter’s Big Olympic Tour event locations:

26 May 2012: Owain Glyndwr Playing Field, Caerphilly

2 June 2012: Ormeau Park, Belfast

9 June 2012: Levengrove Park, Dumbarton

16 June 2012: Herrington Country Park, Sunderland

23 June 2012: Towneley Park, Burnley

30 June 2012: West Park, Wolverhampton

7 July 2012: Saffron Walden Common, Saffron Walden

14 July 2012:  Osborne House, Isle of Wight

21 & 22 July 2012: Central Park, East Ham, London

For more information on the free roadshow events or to find out how you could be in the audience of the Blue Peter live broadcast, visit bbc.co.uk/bluepeter. Tickets for the live broadcasts will be on a strictly limited basis and entry will be by ticket only. Tickets can be applied for via the Blue Peter website or by calling 0370 901 1227. Entry to the event following the live broadcast is free and no ticket is required.

The Aviva Athletics Academy, part of UK Athletics, introduces teachers, parents and young people to the sport of athletics. With a range of programmes, including teacher workshops, awards, holiday schemes and coaching resources the Academy has all the information you need to get started either teaching or taking part in athletics. Visit us at www.uka.org.uk/academy for more information.

* Please note that Helen Skelton will not be presenting on 14 July – Naomi Wilkinson will be presenting alongside Barney Harwood on that day.