08 August 2018
It’s now just a few weeks away until a superb sporting spectacle returns to our County.
The Tour of Britain is back on Saturday 8 September and I can’t wait for Nottinghamshire to show the world yet again that we have what it takes to host a world-class sporting event
Last time Nottinghamshire people came out in their thousands to line the race route which added a tremendous sparkle.
As well as turning up on the day, there’s so many ways you can get involved, but one way to really stand out is to create a piece of land – or water art -close to the route so it can be picked out from the air by
TV helicopters and potentially seen live by millions of TV viewers.
Inspired by the admirable efforts of our great county of Nottinghamshire last year, we invited the Tour of Britain to visit our county again, touring many places that were not included in last year’s route.
The organisers recently launched a national competition at the iconic Trent Bridge cricket ground to find the best and most eye-catching land art along the route of this year’s race.
The idea of land art is to turn fields, hills, gardens or any open spaces into unusual art displays. It doesn’t have to be too complicated, ambitious or even cycling related, it can as simple as using items to spell out ‘Welcome to Notts’
Last year we had so many examples of magical landart moments provided by schools such as John Blow Primary School in Collingham and Newstead Primary School, not to mention Girton Sailing Club’s bike made of boats and of course, the much-talked about sheep creation by Coddington-based farmer Des Allen, which went viral on social media.
Residents, community groups, schools, businesses and land owners can register their plans online for a chance to win and to appear on the live TV coverage. The winner will receive a trophy and commemorative Tour of Britain prizes for their efforts.
Remember the art needs to be big enough to be seen from the air and if you are planning on creating something, please seek permission from the land owner of course.
At 215kms, we are hosting the longest stage, so our county has a fantastic opportunity to get involved.
It would be wonderful to see a Nottinghamshire winner – and whether anyone can top last year’s inspired sheep land art!
Entries need to be submitted by 5pm on 24 August. Go to www.nottscc.gov.uk/tourofbritain
Councillor Kay Cutts, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council
