On track for 2012 and Beyond at Bedford International Athletics Stadium

Work to relay the track at Bedford International Athletics Stadium on Barkers Lane started last week, and I went along to see how things were going. It is a major investment, but the old track was in sore need of replacing after more than 20 years. The new surface will be one of just a small handful in the country which matches that which will be used in the 20102 Olympic stadium, and will enable Bedford Borough to continue hosting major events in Bedford while offering local athletes and schoolchildren high quality facilities.

I am hopeful that the quality of the facilities at the athletics stadium will help attract international teams to Bedford for pre-games training camps leading up to the 2012 Olympics. The quality of facilities in the Borough has meant that we have a wide range of facilities in the official London Organising Committee's list of potential training venues which is available to all teams, so I am hopeful we will see some teams come here and help inspire local residents, particularly children, in the lead-up to the games and help raise the Borough's profile even further.

The other great benefit of the new track is that it will remove the need for costly ongoing maintenance (£140,000 every 6 years or so) that was a feature of the old track.