The polyclinic used by the sporting stars of London 2012 will be handed over to the NHS and eventually become the Sir Ludwig Guttmann Health Centre. The centre will serve the new residents of the Olympic Village (which will be known as the East Village) and the existing local community.

Alongside its GP and pharmacy services, the centre will also provide a range of healthy activities, to be chosen and run by the local community.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

“Sir Ludwig Guttmann devoted his life to improving the care of disabled people, using sport to help turn people’s lives around completely. Without his innovative work, it’s clear that the Paralympics as we know them today would simply not exist. So it’s only fitting that we dedicate this state-of-the-art health centre to his memory.

“The Sir Ludwig Guttmann Health Centre, which will be handed over to the NHS and local authorities, will bring a lasting legacy to the East Village and new community. It will not only keep the sporting heritage of the site alive and well, it will also provide high quality care for a whole new generation of patients.”

Culture Secretary Maria Miller said:

“The new health centre will be a really important part of the legacy of the Games for east London. And naming it after Sir Ludwig Guttman will help keep the incredible inspiration of the Paralympic Games alive.”

Eva Loeffler, Mayor of the Olympic Village and daughter of Sir Ludwig Guttmann said:

“My father would have been honoured and thrilled to know that the legacy of the London 2012 Games would include a polyclinic that bore his name and served a community that had its roots in the wonderful Olympic and Paralympic Games of 2012.”

Sir Ludwig Guttmann, a pioneering neurologist, founded the Paralympic movement by incorporating sport into his rehabilitation programme for ex-servicemen after World War II.

In 1948, Sir Ludwig held an archery competition at Stoke Mandeville Hospital’s National Spinal Injury Centre to coincide with the London Olympics. Four years later the 16-participant event became an international competition, setting the foundations for the first Paralympics in Rome in 1960.

Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee, said:

“This is a fitting tribute to a great man who started this movement. I’m thrilled that his legacy will live on long after London 2012 comes to a close.”

Dennis Hone, Chief Executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority, said:

“The health centre is going to be at the very heart of the new community that we have built, along with a school and thousands of new homes. As the task begins of transforming the facilities used by the world’s best athletes to ensure lasting benefits for Londoners for generations to come, the name of Ludwig Guttmann will always be there to remind people how Paralympic sport began, and about the extraordinary summer of London 2012.”

He said that the Paralympics had been a huge success with a brilliant performance by ParalympicsGB, and thanked everyone who had worked so hard on the Paralympic Games over many years in many organisations.

Today’s Ministerial activities include:

• Sir George Young and Jeremy Hunt are attending the swimming.
• James Brokenshire and Gerald Howarth are attending the athletics.
• Jeremy Hunt and Hugh Robertson are attending the cycling.
• Jeremy Hunt is attending the wheelchair rugby.
• Hugh Robertson is attending the goalball.

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The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award 2012, which is overseen by the Cabinet Office on behalf of Buckingham Palace, was announced in February 2012 to commemorate Her Majesty’s 60-year reign.

The deadline for the Award has now been extended from 09 September until 16 October to enable more time for nominations relating to groups involved in supporting the successful delivery of the Games and promoting the sporting, cultural and social legacy.

Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd said:

“London 2012 has been a wonderful success and much of this rests firmly on the shoulders of volunteers, as does a huge amount of other good work done throughout the year, with volunteers selflessly working to tackle pressing social problems, reaching out to the disadvantagedand bringing communities together.

“Whether people or groups have volunteered themselves, benefited from volunteering, or simply admired the work volunteers do, I would encourage them to nominate their chosen organisation for this timely and fitting honour.”

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award 2012 is a special, one-off category of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, which was established in 2002 as part of the UK honours system and is considered to be the MBE for community voluntary groups.

Whilst the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises the work of grassroots organisations at a local level, the Diamond Jubilee category seeks to recognise groups that operate nationwide.

Further details on the criteria for eligibility, as well as details on how to make an online nomination, can be found at www.direct.gov.uk/qavs

Notes to editors

1.    For further information or to request an interview with Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society, please contact the Cabinet Office press office on 0207 276 2234.

2.    The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award is a new national award for 2012 only.  The nomination deadline has been extended from 09 September to 16 October, to give organisations that fit the criteria of the award a final chance to put in a nomination.  Those invited to apply are:

• national organisations operating in any of the four nations of the United Kingdom who involve volunteers in their work; and
• organisations, whether national or other, which have been involved with the engagement of volunteers or volunteering activities since the announcement of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and intend to continue to operate as a legacy of London 2012 to promote volunteering. Groups which have come together specifically to provide support to the Games, and operate within a non-Games organisation, will be considered on a case-by-case basis, especially if they intend to use this experience to promote future volunteering.

3.    Further details on the criteria for eligibility for the Diamond Jubilee Award can be found at www.direct.gov.uk/qavs as well as details on how to make an online nomination.

Today’s Ministerial activities include:

• Maria Miller is attending the football.
• Hugh Robertson, Jeremy Hunt, Alistair Burt and Edward Davey are attending the athletics.
• Maria Miller and John Bercow are attending the wheelchair tennis.
• Maria Miller, Alistair Burt and Lord Sassoon are attending the wheelchair rugby.
• Philip Hammond is attending the sitting volleyball.
• Esther McVey is attending the table tennis.

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Today’s Ministerial activities include:

• Iain Duncan Smith, John Penrose and Henry Bellingham are attending the athletics.
• Hugh Robertson is attending wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.
• James Brokenshire is attending 7-a-side football.
• Lord Green is attending wheelchair rugby.
• Danny Alexander is attending wheelchair tennis.

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Current situation

The committee met to discuss the Paralympic Games. They agreed that the public response to the Games had been extraordinary and that there had been very positive feedback from athletes and the International Paralympic Committee.

The committee discussed transport and plans for departures and the athletes’ parade on the 10 September. They agreed that the next few days were some of the most challenging for transport in London during the Games with schools returning. There was no room for complacency but the network continued to cope well with the additional passenger numbers.

Today’s Ministerial activities include:

• Owen Paterson is attending the equestrian.
• Ed Vaizey is attending the athletics.
• Jeremy Hunt is attending the table tennis,  swimming and athletics.
• Danny Alexander is attending the table tennis.
• Michael Moore is attending the swimming.
• George Osborne is attending the athletics.
• Dominic Grieve is attending the athletics.
• Hugh Robertson is attending the athletics.

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Today’s Ministerial activities include:

• Ed Vaizey attending Equestrian events.
• Paul Burstow attending the cycling.
• Theresa May, Danny Alexander and Hugh Robertson attending the rowing.
• Andrew Mitchell and Cheryl Gillan attending the athletics.

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Today’s Ministerial activities include:

• Hugh Robertson will be attending the equestrian, shooting, cycling and swimming.
• Lord Sassoon is attending the athletics.
• Ed Vaizey is attending the cycling.
• Jeremy Hunt is attending the judo and athletics.

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Today’s Ministerial activities include:

• Alistair Burt is attending the sitting volleyball and powerlifting.
• Caroline Spelman is attending the cycling and swimming.
• Francis Maude is attending the judo.
• Maria Miller is attending the football and swimming.
• Jeremy Browne is attending the athletics.
• Jeremy Hunt is attending the football.

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Today’s Ministerial activities include:

• David Willetts is attending a British Business Embassy event on the creative industry and advertising.
• Nick Clegg and Theresa May are attending the swimming.
• Jeremy Hunt and Justine Greening are attending the track cycling.
• Hugh Robertson is attending the judo.

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