New orchard will be at the core of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

In celebration of the most successful Paralympic Games ever, plans to create a new area of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, known as Mandeville Place, have been unveiled. Taking inspiration from the use of apples in the 2012 Opening Ceremony, a stunning orchard will open at the Park in spring 2015 and a national schools competition is being launched today, National Apple Day, to find a name for a brand new variety of apple that will be grown there.

The delicious new variety of apple is being developed by mixing pollen from different apple blossoms and is only the third new apple variety to have been created for London in the past 50 years. Children are encouraged to come up with a name that will reflect the legacy of the Paralympic Games and the winners will see the new tree grow in their school as well as at Mandeville Place.

The winning name will be picked in December 2014 by a panel including Paralympic gold medallist Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, London 2012 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony Artistic Directors Bradley Hemmings and Jenny Sealey, former Paralympic sprinter Danny Crates and local young and disabled people.

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Board Member of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said: “I am honoured to have been asked to head the panel of judges that will choose the winning name for a new variety of apple to be grown at Mandeville Place. I can’t wait to see what the country’s schoolchildren suggest. The London 2012 Paralympic Games were one of the most successful Paralympic Games ever and it gives me great pleasure to be able to see it being celebrated through the inclusion of a dedicated space in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. I hope local people and tourists will enjoy picking the fruit and taking part in sports activities in the shadows of the trees.”

Amber Alferoff of the Urban Orchard Project, said: “We are thrilled to be involved in the creation and naming of a new apple to recognise the success of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. It is very rare for a brand new apple to be developed and we’re looking to create a deliciously sweet apple that will appeal to the whole family. The pollination process is complete, the apples are growing and the tasting sessions will be happening very soon. We can’t wait to find out what name the new apple will have and to see it flourish at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.”

Following the naming of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park a commitment was made by the London Legacy Development Corporation, the International Paralympic Committee and the British Paralympic Association to ensure that the huge impact of the London 2012 Paralympic Games was not forgotten. Named after Stoke Mandeville Hospital, the birthplace of the Paralympic Movement, Mandeville Place has been designed to recognise the values and people that made the Games a success.

Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of the British Paralympic Association, said: “At London 2012 the Paralympic Games were truly parallel to the Olympics and the British public filled venues to capacity to experience Paralympic sport and to show their support for ParalympicsGB. Mandeville Place will be a place where the public can remember the Paralympic Games and be inspired to go out and achieve their own personal dreams. In particular, I am pleased that there will be an opportunity for schoolchildren to be involved in this new Paralympic project because we know that Paralympians are a great inspiration to young people.”

Working with local disabled people, Churchman Landscape Architects and Studio Weave will bring together apple and other fruit trees with man-made elements to create a growing pavilion that incorporates elements from the original Athletes Village Paralympic Wall. Fruit trees native to the homes of the 34 ParalympicsGB gold medallists from London 2012 will be planted and carved into the ground will be the Paralympic values of Courage, Determination, Inspiration and Equality as well as Professor Stephen Hawking’s memorable quote from the Opening Ceremony – ‘Don’t look down at your feet, look up at the sky; be curious’.

Bradley Hemmings and Jenny Sealey, Artistic Directors of the Opening Ceremony to the London 2012 Paralympic Games, said: “In creating a Ceremony inspired by the theme of “Enlightenment” we always had two interlocking ideas in mind: one was the desire to celebrate the achievements of British science; but we also wanted to tell a universal story about human rights and the continuing struggle for disability rights in particular. Apples were a key image in communicating these ideas, whether as a giant moving object propelled by a wheelchair user, or as an imaginary giant tree of gravity-defying inflatable fruit. It is therefore truly inspiring to see this concept become a permanent part of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park through the introduction of the orchard at Mandeville Place and we’re thrilled to be part of the team who will choose the name for the new apple. We can’t wait to come down to the Park, sit in the orchard and crunch on the new apple.”

The sporting excellence and community spirit showcased at London 2012 has inspired the Legacy Corporation to develop a £5.5million Paralympic Legacy Programme. Visitors to the Park are encouraged to take part in local disability sports programmes, such as Motivate East, and watch world-class Paralympic events, such as the upcoming NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre (26-30 November 2014). The Legacy Corporation is also working hard to ensure the very highest Inclusive Design Standards are applied to all of the Park’s venues and new neighbourhoods.

For more information visit QueenElizabethOlympicPark.co.uk/Mandeville-Place