Jubilee Greenway

Official Launch of the Jubilee Greenway!

ROYAL PRINCE SWAPS MOTORBIKE FOR PUSHBIKE!

HRH The Duke of Gloucester gets on his bike on Thursday 30 April 2009 to officially launch The Jubilee Greenway, a 60km walking and cycling route, inspired by London’s 2012 Olympic Games.

The Duke of Gloucester will cycle along part of the new Jubilee Greenway from West Ham to the Olympic Park in East London to identify where investment is needed to create a first class route by 2012. The ride will be followed by a tour of the Olympic Park development and a sail in a canal boat along Regent’s Canal to Islington

An initiative by The Jubilee Walkway Trust - creators and custodians of the original Jubilee Walkway developed in 1977 as a legacy of The Queen’s first twenty-five years on the throne – The Jubilee Greenway connects all nine of London’s 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games venues, with many of the capital’s finest attractions, parks and historic landmarks - including both Kensington and Buckingham Palaces.

PHOTO/TV OPPORTUNITY: The Duke of Gloucester, Patron of the Jubilee Walkway Trust and Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, LOCOG Board Member at Wick Lane stopping close to Pudding Mill Lane Station at 11.30 am. Hugo Vickers, Chairman of The Jubilee Walkway Trust; Jim Walker, Chief Executive of Walk England will be available for interview For further information please contact Laura Vipond on 07801 721 343.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London said: “The Jubilee Greenway will be a terrific way for Londoners and Games goers to get around the capital. Whether by foot or by pedal power, people that use the route will be able to enjoy some of London’s best parks and most wonderful waterways. Few capitals of the world can boast such a superb asset for walkers and cyclists.“

Hugo Vickers, Chairman of The Jubilee Walkway Trust said “We are thrilled that this new route is being welcomed so positively as a new asset for London – the original Jubilee Walkway continues to be well looked after and is more popular every year – I very much hope that The Jubilee Greenway is explored just as much by Londoners and all our visitors”.

Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, DBE Olympic Medallist and Board Member of The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games said: “The Jubilee Greenway is a wonderful opportunity for both residents and visitors to get fit in the run up to the Games and travel between venues in a healthy and sustainable way during games time.  I encourage everybody to look it up online and start enjoying it now – being healthier is the best legacy we can give each other”.

Hugh Sumner, Olympic Delivery Authority Transport Director said:  “The Greenway is used by many of our 3,500 construction workers to get to the Olympic Park every day, as well as hundreds of local residents.  Encouraging our workforce and thousands of spectators in three years time, to use these sustainable and active transport options will help London 2012’s goal to be the first “sustainable” Games.  This event today shows that it is something that London can make happen, and something that will set the standard for future major events.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Jubilee Greenway makes use of existing walking and cycling routes wherever possible beginning at Buckingham Palace and joining Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens Royal Parks with Paddington Station and the Grand Union Canal at Little Venice. Following the Regents Canal through Camden the Jubilee Greenway then connects to East London through Victoria Park to the River Thames where the Woolwich Foot Tunnel ties Greenwich and the South Bank to the original Jubilee Walkway at Tower Bridge and back to St James’ via Westminster.

2. All 60 km (35 miles) of The Jubilee Greenway is already fully open and available to walk and cycle. However, a recent audit by Walk England identified several areas which would benefit from further investment to primarily improve accessibility, signage and safety. The Jubilee Greenway directional discs, which will be placed along the route, will be made of recycled London glass and include the Olympic laurel motif, taken from Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee emblem design.

3. The Jubilee Greenway is being supported by a partnership including senior representatives from central government, The Mayor’s office, Royal Parks, The Olympic Delivery Authority, Transport for London, British Waterways, Thames Water and all the relevant local authorities.  The Jubilee Walkway Trust is working in partnership with Walk England to coordinate the investment programme.

4. The Jubilee Greenway, is a Diamond Jubilee initiative, and builds on the established and original 14 mile (22km) Jubilee Walkway set up by the Trust in celebration of the Silver Jubilee in 1977. Her Majesty The Queen proposed the original Walkway as a ‘legacy of her reign and to provide an opportunity for visitors to experience the variety of London life.’ The Jubilee Walkway today, which was refurbished by the Trust in 2002 as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations, is enjoyed by an estimated 2 million people per year. The Jubilee Walkway map is the most popular publication by which visitors choose to navigate London on foot and the Walkway remains one of the most accessible in the world, interpreted by more than 30 viewing panels and supported by business, local authorities, commerce, industry and institutions throughout its length.

5. The Jubilee Greenway website http://www.jubileegreenway.com is an informative first point of call for more on the new route. The site contains maps and route directions for visitors to download and comments and photos are invited.