Successful Tour of Britain cycle race provides £1m boost to Worcestershire’s economy
WORCESTERSHIRE’S economy has received a £1m boost from staging part of this year’s Tour of Britain cycle race, latest figures have shown.
The Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership said the latest analysis showed that £995,849 was spent by visitors to the county during the event in September.
Around 160,000 people attended Stage Four of the Tour, which took in the leg from Worcester to Bristol. In Worcester itself, 75,000 people are estimated to have lined the city’s streets to cheer on the competitors, which included then-reigning champion, Sir Bradley Wiggins, and Mark Cavendish.
The stage began at The Hive, in the heart of Worcester and continued through the city centre to St. John’s. The start proper was at Bransford Bridge and from there the riders headed to Malvern, Upton-upon-Severn, Pershore and Evesham for the first Sprint Point. Then riders moved on to Broadway for the second Sprint Point and then onto Snowshill.
Supporting the event were the Worcestershire LEP, alongside the various local authorities: Worcestershire County Council, Worcester City Council, Malvern Hills District Council and Wychavon District Council as well as Sanctuary Group, Heart of Worcestershire College, University of Worcester and Blue Earth Foods.
The LEP, which had hoped the event would raise the profile of the county, said the success of the race had exceeded expectations.
Peter Pawsey, the LEP’s executive chairman, said: “We knew that this high profile sporting event would bring people to the county and I am pleased to announce that it exceeded even our expectations.
“For every pound invested, we saw ten times the return in the local economy and it was great to see the event so well supported with more than 75,000 watching the race within the county boundaries.”
He said he hoped that many of the people who turned up to watch the race would look to visit the county again.
Adrian Hardman, leader of Worcestershire County Council, added: “This really was a great day for Worcestershire. Hosting such an incredible sporting event put the spotlight firmly on the county and the economic impact speaks for itself.”
