People
Nicky Roche, CEO, Tour de France HUB
I spent most of the time in the control room watching it all unfold on the TV screens
The Tour de France’s first three stages in England this summer were hailed as the “grandest opening in the race’s history”, by race director Christian Prudhomme. It is estimated that more than four million people packed the sides of roads during the first three days, which saw the riders travel from York to London. Lavishing praise on the public who lined the roads as well as the English organising team, the Tour de France HUB (TdFHUB), Prudhomme says it is a question of “when, not if” the Tour returns to British shores.
The TdFHUB, a subsidiary of UK Sport, was led by Yorkshire-born Nicky Roche. A keen sports fan, she describes herself as having been a “useful club athlete” during her teenage years. Roche’s journey to lead the TdFHUB demonstrates her passion for sport. While working at the Home Office as a civil servant in 2004, she saw the role of director of sport advertised in The Sunday Times.
“I thought it was my ideal job but that I’d never get it,” Roche recalls. “Until the DCMS’ permanent secretary, Sue Street, called and encouraged me to go for it. I did and I got it!”
At the DCMS, Roche worked closely with Tessa Jowell and was part of the team that worked on the winning 2012 London Olympic bid. In 2007, she was named a director at the Government Olympic Executive (GOE), where Roche worked closely with all stakeholders – LOCOG, ODA, GLA – and helped shape the Olympic journey from start to finish. Her responsibilities for London 2012 came to an end in March 2013 when the handover to Rio was completed. Soon after, in August 2013, she was appointed as CEO of TdFHUB.
Describing her role at the hub, Roche says the biggest challenge was the time available. “With less than a year to go, I came with an incredibly short amount of time for such a big project - especially as we started pretty much from scratch.
“When I arrived the partners – particularly the local authorities and the transport operators – had already done really good work to start off, but the work was very siloed. In my experience the best way to ensure a successful event is when everything is done by a group of people working as a team – when everyone knows what each other does.”
The most rewarding aspect for Roche was the public’s reaction to the event. “I spent most of the time in the control room watching it all unfold on TV screens, so watching the huge crowds line the route pretty much from start to finish was amazing,” she says.
She is also proud of the fact that the event was delivered by a dedicated team - funded by public money. “I’m very chuffed that this was largely delivered under public sector leadership. The public sector really rose to the challenge!”
Details: www.letour.fr
Nick Hounsfield
Bristol has strong links to ground-breaking engineering. The Wave could build on this reputation
After receiving planning consent in June, The Wave Bristol – a £6m man-made surfing lake planned for greenbelt land outside Easter Compton near Bristol – has been awarded up to £840,000 funding by The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
The project, which is the brainchild of Nick Hounsfield and Tobin Coles, will feature a freshwater lagoon which will use Wavegarden technology from Instant Sport in Spain to generate surfing waves suitable for beginners and experienced surfers. The site will also feature a swimming lake and multifunctional gardens including an activity garden, barefoot trails, a sensory garden, a healing garden, a culinary garden and herb gardens. A core facility building will house a cafe, an educational space to support school visits and a small retail space.
According to co-founder Nick Hounsfield, the idea for The Wave was born over a pint and a curry. “Having seen videos of the Wavegarden technology in Spain, we felt like it was something that could appeal to a very large audience in the UK and rather than waiting for someone else to come up with the plan, we formulated a concept, ethos and business structure. Before we knew it the project was on its way to becoming reality.”
As for the location, the founders saw Bristol as a perfect fit. “From Brunel to Banksy, Bristol has always been a leader – The Wave could build on this burgeoning reputation,” says Hounsfield.
“The city has strong links to ground-breaking engineering. From Brunel and the SS Great Britain, to Concorde and aerospace there is long tradition of engineering firsts – the cutting edge Wavegarden technology seems to have a natural fit with the city. Bristol also offers an opportunity to tap into other areas that are important to us, such as getting more city based children into the water and making a positive change to the lives of those from the city’s deprived areas.”
It’s hoped the project would be completed by 2016.
Details: www.the-wave.co.uk
Richard Loat, founder, Five Hole for Food
We want to use the power and passion of sport to inspire micro-activism
A volunteer-driven, non-profit organisation in Canada is using ice hockey – the country’s national game – as a vehicle for social change, and reaching a new generation of social entrepreneurs. Five Hole for Food (FHFF) is a nation-wide project with a bold, enterprising and entrepreneurial approach aimed at helping those most in need.
Over the past four years, FHFF has raised in excess of 1 million pounds (454,000kg) of food in support of local food banks across Canada. Armed with national partners, more than 40 volunteers and an identity borne from social media, FHFF has set out to bring communities together.
The organisation is the brainchild of Richard Loat, a young entrepreneur who describes the project’s aim as mobilising the disengaged. “We want to use the power and passion of sport to inspire micro-activism which creates a significant collective impact,” he says.
“Our goal has always been to mobilise people, and disrupt typical philanthropic processes in support of charity. At the moment, this is directed specifically towards food security, but it’s not limited to that in its future development.“
The idea of using hockey for social good came to Richard following the 2010 Olympic Games, held in Vancouver. “There was a real energy around hockey following the 2010 Games, as it was the great unifier for Canada. As a result we set out to unite hockey fans under a single cause, as opposed to the different crests on club shirts. From there, we started hosting ball hockey events for people to participate in and to donate to the local food bank – and the idea has taken off since then.”
FHFF hosts a national tour across Canada each year, which visits 13 cities in 17 days. It also works to support other communities and food banks who want to raise food and funds through the programme. The activity has since grown under the umbrella Sport for Food, to include Footy for Food (a football programme) and a soon to be launched Hoops for Food (a basketball programme).
Loat is now planning to take the Sport for Food concept global.
Details: www.fiveholeforfood.com
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