Curwen Primary School in Newham, winners of the London 2012 'VeloDream' competition last year, were visited by the designers and builders behind the London 2012 Velodrome this week to have a go at designing and building their own VeloPark.

The school beat more than 500 schools around the country to win last year’s 'VeloDream' competition which asked pupils to design their own dream Olympic cycling venues of the future. As part of the ODA's commitment to involving the school throughout the construction programme, the school were visited on Tuesday by the architects and construction team behind the London 2012 Velodrome which is beginning to make its mark on the east London skyline.


A full day of activity at the school included a presentation on the London 2012 Velodrome, followed by a chance for the pupils to design and build a 3.5m x 2.5m model of the VeloPark. Six groups each worked with a member of the contractor team to create a section of the VeloPark. At the end of the day, all the sections put together to make the entire VeloPark, including Velodrome and BMX track.

Richard Arnold, Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) Velodrome Project Manager said: "Visiting Curwen Primary School has been a great chance to bring the excitement of 2012 into the classroom and I was impressed by their innovative and imaginative designs for their own dream cycling venues. With our own Velodrome starting to take shape and make its mark on the east London skyline, it was good to meet the local young people that will benefit most from the world-class new cycling facilities we are building not just for 2012 but for generations to come."

Construction work on the Velodrome began on schedule in March and work well is now well underway on the structural steelwork that will help form the distinct double-curved shape of the venue.

(CD/KMcA)