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With Christmas just around the corner, it’s hard to believe it’s less than three months since the world-famous AJ Bell Tour of Britain cycle race returned to Nottinghamshire.

I’m sure the day will live long in the memory of everyone who lined the route from West Bridgford to Mansfield on 8 September and it was great to see so many of you turn out to cheer on the riders – including our very own Ross Lamb.

Not even a sprinkle of rain in the north of the county could put a dampener on proceedings as we once again showcased why Nottinghamshire has so much to offer to a global audience of millions watching on television.

The showpiece event provided a real boost for our plans to make the county an even better tourism destination, with an economic report commissioned by Tour organisers revealing the stage generated £4.34m in net visitor expenditure for the local economy.

It showed that an impressive 225,000 fans lined the 116-mile route, with nearly three-quarters of spectators coming from outside Nottinghamshire to watch the race and 60 per cent saying they would visit Robin Hood Country again.

The figures also reveal that the average daily spend for day visitors per group was more than £48, while overnight visitors spent more than £135.

I am absolutely delighted the race was once again well supported by our communities, even more so considering we hosted this year’s stage on a Thursday and not a weekend day like in 2018.

For me, the report once again highlights how Nottinghamshire can successfully host an international event and be a tourist destination which people want to visit and return to in future.

We are all rightly proud of our county’s heritage and history and we all know it is a great place to live, work and visit.

However, it is always nice to hear this view supported by people who do not live here and have perhaps never visited Nottinghamshire before.

The findings really are the icing on the cake after what was truly a stage to remember – especially for the fans who travelled here in their thousands to watch the race pass through our county.

Hopefully the AJ Bell Tour of Britain will make a return here for a fourth time in the future, so we can once again showcase everything our towns and villages have to offer.

Councillor John Cottee, Cabinet Member for Communities at Nottinghamshire County Council

Photo courtesy of SWpix.com.