Beverley’s Flemingate development is embracing the Olympic spirit by inviting the region’s fastest young runners to compete in a Usain Bolt-themed sprint.
The “Beverley Bolt” is a 100 metre race running the length of Flemingate’s main street. Sprinters will ‘bolt’ from the starting lines outside Poundland and race to the finishing post outside artisan sandwich and coffee shop Deli No.1.
Fleet-footed competitors will aim to be the fastest in their age range in a series of races which Graham Tait, Flemingate Centre Manager, hopes will become an annual event.
Mr Tait said: “We wanted to embrace the spirit of the Games in Rio and create our own ‘Olympic’ event. Usain Bolt is such a great role model that we came up with the idea of the Beverley Bolt, a race for young visitors to Flemingate to take part in.
“There will be a race track with barriers and stewards along the way and winners will be presented with medals once the results of the two days have been collated.
“It will be a really fun couple of days on August Bank Holiday weekend and an event that everyone can come along and enjoy.”
There will be five separate categories for competitors to enter. Youngsters aged six and under will run 30 metres. Those between the ages of six and eight will run 40m. Eight to 10 year olds will run 50m. 10 to 12 year olds will run 75m and those between the ages of 12 and 15 will run the full 100m distance to emulate the multi-Olympic title winner Jamaican sprinter.
Girls and boys will be timed separately so there will be 10 winners in total with finishing times recorded by stewards outside Deli No.1.
Race times are 12.30pm, 1.30pm and 2.30pm on Saturday, August 27, and Sunday, August 28.
All runners must wear suitable clothing and footwear for the race and complete an entry form.
Mr Tait added: “We’re keen to promote Flemingate as a space for a wide variety of outdoor events and this the latest example of how we are bringing people into Beverley to enjoy all that the town has to offer.”
The Beverley Bolt is part of a fun series of summer activities taking place at Flemingate throughout the summer break.
Flemingate’s programme of summer fun features:
- Tuesday, August 23 – Bowls with Brandesburton Pétanque Club
- Wednesday, August 24 12noon – 4.30pm – Fun and games with Hull FC and Beverley Braves
- Thursday, August 25 12noon – 4.30pm – Rugby skills and ball games with Beverley RUFC
- Friday, August 26 12noon – 4.30pm – Tri-golf with Beverley Golf Club pro, Stewart Fraser
- Saturday, August 27 – A visit by The Bear from ‘Masha and The Bear’ at The Entertainer
- September 3-4 – Funfair and fairground attractions
The £120m Flemingate development – Beverley’s largest-ever regeneration scheme – includes big-name brands such as Debenhams and H&M and is also home to the East Riding College campus, an 80-bed Premier Inn hotel and six-screen digital cinema, Parkway.
Recent openings at Flemingate include Riva Lounge, Baytree Interiors, Peacocks and Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK). Leading UK retailer River Island is the latest big-name brand to open, welcoming shoppers for the first time on Thursday, August 18.
