That’s the view of the President of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jill Thomas, who gave her backing to the multi-million pound London 2012 legacy project during a site visit.
 
When fully operational, the 35-acre OLP, which is being developed in Attercliffe, is set to become an internationally recognised centre for health, wellbeing and innovation.
 
An all-through school for two to 16 year olds, the Oasis Academy Don Valley, opened on the OLP with its first class in 2015 and construction work is now underway on site on the UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park campus. Opening in September, the £10 million UTC facility will be home to 600 students aged 14 to 19 and will specialise in medical, sports sciences, and computing sectors.
 
At the heart of the OLP will be Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) – the most advanced research and development centre for physical activity in the world, creating innovations that help people move.
 
Chamber President Jill, who is also managing director of Future Life Wealth Management, said: “The Olympic Legacy Park is a unique project and one that Sheffield should be incredibly proud of.
 
“The emerging developments on site are hugely exciting. The Oasis Academy Don Valley is not only creating learning environments to help young people realise their full potential but providing fantastic office and event spaces for the business community.
 
“It was wonderful to have the chance to see the steelwork going up on site on the UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park campus. The city’s investing heavily in health and wellbeing, but to achieve growth you need to prepare people for the sector and that’s exactly what’s happening at the OLP.
 
“With world-class venues like the English Institute of Sport Sheffield already in place, the development of the Olympic Legacy Park is the final piece of the Lower Don Valley jigsaw.”
 
The Olympic Legacy Park is a joint venture between Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Sheffield City Council.
 
Jill added: “You can already see the positive impact it’s having on local communities in terms of health and wellbeing opportunities and attracting inward investment with major companies like Toshiba on board.
 
“In the same way that the Advanced Manufacturing Park has become internationally recognised for engineering and manufacturing, the OLP can do the same for health and wellbeing innovation by offering opportunities for businesses to invest and locate their business alongside other world-leading organisations.”
 
The £3.5 million Park Community Arena on the OLP will be the new home for the Sheffield Sharks basketball team and MLS Contracts Ltd. The multi-purpose, indoor facility, which will be open to the local community, will have three courts and seating for up to 2,500 people.
 
The world-class English Institute of Sport Sheffield, Olympic-standard twin-pad iceSheffield, and the Grass Bowl are all within OLP’s boundaries.
 
For more information follow @OLPSheffield on Twitter, like our Olympic Legacy Park page on Facebook or search for Legacy Park Ltd on LinkedIn.