Legacy Trust UK is a charitable trust endowed with a £40 million fund that will use the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to promote culture and sport among young people and communities. 
The Big Lottery Fund, the Arts Council and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport endowed Legacy Trust UK with £40m.  This - and other funds that the Trust will raise from other public and philanthropic sources - will be used to support cultural, artistic, educational and sporting activities that celebrate the 2012 Games.

The UK School Games is funded by a £6 million grant from Legacy Trust UK. As an event which fully encompasses sport, education and culture, the UK School Games was one of Legacy Trust UK’s first projects. The rest of the money will be allocated to specific projects via the three nations and nine English regions of the UK.

The Trust will form partnerships with organisations that will attract additional match funding to deliver Legacy Trust supported programmes. This approach was central to the successful application to create the Trust submitted by a consortium led by the City of London.

The Trust will co-ordinate its work with that of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).  It is expected that many of the projects that the Trust funds will be eligible for inclusion in the programme for the Cultural Olympiad, which is a key element of the 2012 Games.

The Youth Sport Trust is a charitable organisation created in 1994. Our mission is to build a brighter future for young people by enhancing the quality of their physical education (PE) and sporting opportunities.

We want young people to have the chance to experience and enjoy different types of activity at whatever level is right for them. We want to ensure youngsters receive the best teaching, coaching and resources possible and have the chance to progress if they show talent. Above all, we want to help our young people to live healthy and active lives and to be the best they can be.

The Youth Sport Trust helped to create the UK School Games, which first took place in 2006 and is responsible for the development and organisation of the Games. The UK School Games is a key aspect of the systemic change that is occurring to the landscape of competitive sport for young people in the UK. A regional qualifying pathway is developing in a number of the UK School Games sports. This will connect the UK School Games four day event to the national network of Competition Managers. The Youth Sport Trust also works on a number of initiatives for Gifted and Talented young people including ‘Believe to Achieve with Kelly’ our scholarship programme, the National Talent Camp, a residential event to help talented athletes to balance both sporting and academic success, as well as helping School Sport Partnerships manage the Junior Athlete Education programme.

The South West is very excited Bristol and Bath have been chosen to host the 2008 UK School Games, and we are looking forward to welcoming more than 1,500 athletes to our region this summer.
 
We are proud to be associated with such a prestigious event and it underlines our reputation as a region known for its sport and participation. The School Games are part of our commitment to support major sporting events as we prepare to host the 2012 sailing events at Weymouth and Portland. 
 
 In the build up to 2012 we need to give our young athletes every opportunity to compete at the highest level and reward them for the training and dedication that they put into their sports. The UK School Games is a real opportunity for young athletes from across the country to take part in a multi-sport event and mix with young people from other sports disciplines. 
 
Part of the South West RDA legacy aims for 2012 is Sporting Opportunity and the School Games are a part of our plans  to develop excellence and talent in the region, as well as ensuring we meet our responsibilities in ensuring our young people have access to opportunities to improve their fitness.
 
The South West will provide a great setting for the event and the warmest of welcomes to the athletes from across the United Kingdom. 
 
 
Guy Lavender, South West 2012 Director for the 2012 Games

Bath & North East Somerset Council is delighted to welcome this event to our region. The UK School Games will provide some of the country’s most talented young athletes with an opportunity to take part in an event that will give them an experience about what top-level competitions are really like.
The Games will also inspire young people from the local area and across the country to get involved in sports and fitness. I hope the competitors, their supporters and families will also take an opportunity during their stay to enjoy exploring the many excellent attractions on offer in the local area.

Councillor Charles Gerrish, Cabinet Member for Customer Services, Bath & North East Somerset Council

Bristol is delighted to be joining Bath in welcoming over 1500 young people to the South West to compete in the 2008 UK School Games. In the build up to 2012, the games offer a fantastic opportunity for our young school-aged elite athletes to compete against the very best in their sport, whilst experiencing the ‘feel’ of a major sporting event like the Olympics, with opening and closing ceremonies and athlete's villages.

This year the UK School Games will be complemented by an exciting community sport and cultural programme.
Hundreds of school aged children across the region will take part in festivals of sport and in Bristol city centre there will be a dazzling showcase of urban sport combining demonstrations and workshops from renowned skateboarders, aerial performers, trial bikers and climbers.

We hope that the UK School Games in Bristol and Bath will inspire many more young people in the region to increase their own participation in sport and we extend a warm welcome to all the young athletes from across the U.K who will be coming to the South West to take part in what will be a very exciting and special event.

Councillor Rosalie Walker, Executive Member for Leisure and Health.

If you are interested in supporting the UK School Games, please contact Marc Hope or Will Jenkins on 0207 593 5200.