World cycling event set to boost local economy

 
Warwickshire will take its place in the world sporting spotlight next month when the Aviva Women's Tour passes through the county.

Stage Two of the internationally-recognised race will see the world’s leading female cyclists go head-to-head on a challenging 140km ride from the north to the very south of the county on Thursday 16 June.

The event is being hosted by Warwickshire County Council, in partnership with the University of Warwick, and has as its main sponsor supermarket chain Aldi, which employs over 500 staff in its head office in Atherstone in the north of the county.

Given its strong connections with Atherstone and Warwickshire, and its high profile support for UK sport as the official supermarket of Team GB, Aldi is an ideal sponsor for the Aviva Women’s Tour in Warwickshire.

The Tour will bring a significant economic boost to North Warwickshire and the county as a whole as thousands of spectators and tourists come to watch the event - and Warwickshire is showcased globally as an outstanding place to work and invest.

The route will be lined by up to 70,000 people, more than half of whom will travel in from outside the county, with the result that around £1.5m will be pumped into the local economy, primarily in hospitality areas.

The benefit will be felt throughout the county from the north, where around 5,000 people will attend the start in Atherstone, through Kenilworth, Leamington and Warwick and on to Stratford-upon-Avon where 10,000 people will watch the finish.

And Warwickshire County Council, with the support of North Warwickshire Borough Council, is working hard with the region’s businesses to maximise their support and engagement in the Tour and the economic opportunities that it will bring.

Leader of Warwickshire County Council, Councillor Izzi Seccombe, said: “I’m delighted that we have Aldi as official sponsor of the Aviva Women’s Tour in Warwickshire.

“They are one of our major employers and, given their strong links with Atherstone, where this internationally significant sporting event will begin, and with Warwickshire as a whole, they are perfect partners in helping us to boost awareness of the Tour and the lasting legacy that it will bring to our beautiful county.”

Councillor Philip Johnson, chair of Warwickshire County Council’s Communities Overview & Scrutiny Committee, said: “The Aviva Women’s Tour brings with it an excellent opportunity to showcase Warwickshire as a place to work, invest and visit. I’m sure that Aldi’s sponsorship will help us put the county on the map as somewhere that has the talent and infrastructure to make a sporting event on this scale, and all the benefits that it brings, a big success.”

The www.warwickshire.gov.uk/womens-tour website is packed with information about the Tour, the route through Warwickshire and the plans for Race Day itself. The site will continue to be updated with information as the Tour gets ever closer, so keep checking back.

You can follow the latest Aviva Women’s Tour in Warwickshire news by following @ChooseMoveWarks on Twitter, following the #AvivaWT2016 hashtag and liking the ChooseMoveWarks Facebook page.