Stay and Enjoy the 2012 Games in Suffolk

Suffolk to the Olympic Park in one hour 

With the Olympic Games heading to London in 2012, Suffolk is the ideal destination to enjoy the entire experience. Just an hour from the centre of action at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, it's a quick sprint to discover an authentic slice of England.

If you're planning to enjoy all the sporting feats at the London 2012 Games, Suffolk is the perfect base to combine a relaxing stay with great accessibility to the capital. It's an attractive mix promising the room to breathe in the county's wide open spaces, along with the breathtaking, adrenaline-fuelled excitement of the world's biggest sporting event. And with our hotels in 2012 offering some attractive deals to visitors, there's the chance to savour a little luxury in a county that leads the field in high-quality accommodation.

To find special offers around the games, visit www.great2012offers.com
 

Brazil's 2012 Olympic gymnastic squad set to train in Suffolk

Due to Suffolk's fantastic sporting facilities and its proximity to the capital, Brazil's Olympic gymnastic squad has signed a deal which will see them train in an Ipswich gym. This follows news earlier in the year that three Suffolk locations have already been chosen by Olympic and Paralympic Teams from around the world as a base to prepare for the 2012 Games. Rwanda has chosen Bury St Edmunds, the Azerbaijan Women's Gymnastics Team have selected Ipswich, and the Canadian Gymnastics Federation will train in Lowestoft.

Olympic Torch comes to Suffolk

Sixteen towns and villages in Suffolk will extend a very warm welcome to the Olympic flame as it makes its way around the UK on its 70 day journey to the London 2012 Games.

The Torch Relay will arrive in Suffolk on Thursday 5th July and and will visit 16 communities - Lowestoft, Wrentham, Reydon, Southwold, Kelsale, Saxmundham, Aldeburgh, Wickham Market, Ufford, Melton, Woodbridge and Felixstowe and will end the day with an evening celebration hosted in the beautiful Christchurch Park in Ipswich. Ipswich is one of 66 Evening Celebration locations across the UK, which will offer thousands of people the opportunity to come together, celebrate the Games and share the Olympic spirit. As part of the evening event the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paraympic Games will stage an exciting entertainment show that will include highly talented young people from Suffolk and the lighting of a cauldron from the Olympic Flame, marking the end of the day's proceedings.

After an overnight stop in Ipswich, the Torch Relay will continue it's journey out of Suffolk, but will return to the county on 7th July when it will visit Haverhill, Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket.

Street by street route now available at www.london2012.com/olympictorchrelay

Fair Price Charter

Major global events such as the London 2012 Games offer both opportunities and challenges. Businesses need to maximise profitability - but not at the cost of England's longer-term reputation. And, of course, visitors expect value for money, and reassurance that the price they pay upfront will not be compromised by late discounting.

When planning your visit to Suffolk, you can be assured that businesses who have signed up to the Fair Price Charter have agreed to commit to reasonable and fair trading during the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games period of 2012.

The Fair Price Charter is recognised, endorsed and promoted by Choose Suffolk, LOCOG, VisitBritain and the BHA.

Signatories to the Fair Price Charter:

Click here for a list of Accommodation

Click here for a list of Attractions and Venues

Click here for more information on how to sign up to the Fair Price Charter 

Tour of Britain - Take a Tour through Suffolk

The Tour of Britain is the UK's biggest professional cycle race, taking place annually across the UK over eight gruelling days. The ninth edition of the Tour will be taking place this year between Sunday 9th and Sunday 16th September, with Suffolk chosen as the location for the grand depart on Sunday 9th September. The Tour of Britain is the first major cycling event to take place after the London 2012 Olympic Games and is sure to attract many of the world's top cyclists.

Not only will the relay visit villages, towns and cities along the route, it will also take in some important landmarks; from the famous to the unexpected; natural to the man made; historical to the modern. In Suffolk this will include Southwold's iconic beach huts and Lowestoft's Ness Point, the most easterly point in the UK.

Click here to visit the Tour of Britain website.

Upcoming events

London 2012 Festival and Cultural Olympiad

Aldeburgh World Orchestra

20 and 22 July Snape Suffolk

A festival celebrating the last 100 years of orchestral music on a global scale. Spot some of your favourites as part of the Olympic celebrations.

Sir Mark Elder will conduct the 124 talented young musicians (aged 18-29 years) from across the globe who make up the Aldeburgh World Orchestra, created specially for the London 2012 Festival. The concert will celebrate the last 100 years of orchestral music; works include Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, Shostakovich's Symphony No 5, and music by Mahler and Aldeburgh Music's ounder, Benjamin Britten. The project is led by Aldeburgh Music who have also developed an ensemble of young players in the region to work with the Orchestra and a large project with schools and young people.

More information: http://festival.london2012.com/events/9000961162

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The Crash of the Elysium

15 Jun 2012 - 8 Jul 2012

A spectacular, live Doctor Who adventure in which the audience becomes the star of the show.

Created by Punchdrunk, a live Doctor Who adventure in which the audience is the star of the show, The Crash of The Elysium is unlike anything else you've ever experienced. This is your story, your mission, you are the hero. Everything depends on you. There is no stage, there is no comfy seating, there is no division between the world of the audience and the world of the show. You are at the heart of the action and you drive the story forward. No two shows will ever be the same, no individual adventure will ever be repeated.

More information: http://festival.london2012.com/events/9000961495

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On Landguard Point

Dates: Various

An East of England Adventure in Real Life and Film, inspired by the histories, culture and mythology of the East of England, On Landguard Point is a feature film about home that is the culmination of a year of events and site specific performances.

For London 2012 Pacitti Company presents six previews across the region. Opening in Suffolk (the main location for the film), On Landguard Point will journey to screens in beautiful local cinemas as well as distinct locations, such as Latitude Festival and a street in the centre of Cambridge. Some of the screenings will be accompanied by artist discussions with key collaborators, and coincide with the launch of a permanent ‘People's Peculiar' exhibition at The Museum of East Anglian Life. Join us for a celebration of home and what it means to live in the East of England.

More information: www.onlandguardpoint.com

Suffolk: the Olympics without the Marathon

The county is excited about adding to the electric atmosphere that surrounds the Olympic Games, and throughout 2012, things to do in Suffolk will range from specific cultural events, to sporting celebrations. And why not get active by exploring the county's miles of walking and cycling along coastal and countryside tracks, sailing on the county's rivers or swimming in the sea?

And if sport isn't your thing, plan your perfect escape route with a quick sprint to a Suffolk getaway, far from the madding crowds.

London: Only a short train journey away

Greater Anglia operates fast and frequent train services between stations in East Anglia and London Liverpool Street. Offering a great range of value peak and off-peak fares, as well as discounted entry offers to attractions in London and within the East of England, taking the train is really the cheapest and most convenient way to travel to your destination.

For train timetable and to book tickets visit www.greateranglia.co.uk