Harrogate Olympic Figures – Sporting Silhouettes
The Harrogate district is really getting into the swing of the Olympic Games and is celebrating this special year with the siting of sporting silhouettes in public spaces such as in parks and gardens and at roundabouts. The fact that it’s also the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year just adds to the excitement across the district.
So, to commemorate this exceptional year the Parks Team came up with the idea of representing some of the Olympic sports with designs of competitors in action including an archer, a basketball player, boxers, a cyclist, a footballer, a gymnast, a hockey player, a javelin thrower, a rider with his horse, runners, swimmers, a tennis player and a weightlifter. Why not see if you can get a “full set” by spotting as many of them as you can! The figures were installed by Chris Harrison and Stuart Pearson – two members of Harrogate’s own award-winning team of gardeners.
To complement the silhouettes, the Parks Team will be strategically placing patriotically-coloured red, white and blue troughs and baskets around the district – the right blend of colours for both the Jubilee and for backing the British Olympic Team. And there are further plans to mow out the pattern of the Olympic Rings on Harrogate’s Christ Church Stray and to move the Spring Flower Show’s “Dive into 2012” display garden Harrogate BC created in conjunction with Harrogate College to Ripon Spa Gardens.
And these aren’t the Harrogate district’s only involvement with this year’s Olympics. The Olympic Torch (lit in Athens on Thursday 10 May) will be coming to the area on 19 June – passing through Knaresborough, Starbeck, Harrogate and Ripon – on its way to York. There’s sure to be big crowds lining the route to cheer it on its way, so make sure you get there early to join in the celebrations!
The full list of locations for the Olympic figures is:
Boroughbridge
A basketball player and a weightlifter on the roundabout near to the Morrison’s supermarket.
Harrogate
A boxer on the St George’s Roundabout on Leeds Road
Four runners on the Prince of Wales Roundabout
Three swimmers to be sited in the Valley Gardens
Knaresborough
An archer at Woodland’s Walk
A cyclist at Knaresborough House
A javelin thrower at World’s End
A tennis player in Park Row
Pateley Bridge
A footballer, a gymnast and a hockey player at Foxes Head
Ripon
A horse and rider outside Ripon Racecourse
And if you’re looking for accommodation in Ripon or Harrogate, check out the following pages:
Ripon holiday accommodation on Hello Yorkshire