Going for Gold, Silver, Bronze…….MADE IN BIRMINGHAM
19-Feb-2007
With only two weeks to go before Europe’s top athletes descend on Birmingham’s NIA to battle it out for the coveted Bronze, Silver or Gold medals of the European Athletics Indoor Championships, less than a mile way, artists, craftsmen and designers in Birmingham’s historic jewellery quarter are involved in a flurry of filing, polishing and buffing in preparation.
A number of companies and organisations in the Jewellery Quarter – some of which have been making international sporting trophies and memorabilia for almost 200 hundred years - are manufacturing commemorative items for the prestigious event which takes place from Friday 2- Sunday 4 March 2007. These range from the official championship medals, to ‘specially commissioned gifts for Lord Sebastian Coe and the London 2012 team as well as souvenirs and commemorative items for VIP guests and media.
Cllr Mike Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City Council said:
“If you are at a sports event almost anywhere in Britain, or indeed in many parts of the world, and hear a whistle blown, or see a medal or a cup being presented, the chances are that the item will have been, as it was a century ago “Made in Birmingham”.
“At a time when most sports related manufacturing in the UK has been lost to the Far East, Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter is an outstanding exception. The items being made for the European Athletics Indoor Championships are maintaining a tradition that goes back centuries and which helps keep the city’s name at the forefront of jewellery and precious metal manufacturing”
The official medals for the EAIC 2007 are being made by family run firm, Vaughtons, established in 1819 who made the Olympic medals for the 1908 London games and who have been making the Football League medals since 1911. The EAIC 2007 medals have been designed by Kate Thorley and Zoe Youngman, senior designers at the Jewellery Industry Innovation Centre (J.I.I.C.), situated at the School of Jewellery in Vittoria Street. They feature an engraved section of stylised track over which lies a dynamic curve which represents the throwing and jumping disciplines but is also symbolic of a canal bridge, like those surrounding the sporting arena which overlooks the heart of Birmingham’s historic canal network.
A final year student from the School of Jewellery (part of UCE Birmingham), Theresa Nguyen, has designed a striking sculpture/decorative vase as a gift for London 2012 president Lord Sebastian Coe, after winning a competition organised by Birmingham City Council’s Creative Development Team. The sterling silver sculpture which consists of five rings and features the Olympic motto Citius – Altius – Fortius (Faster Higher Stronger) is being made by Regent Silversmiths in Frederick Street. It marks the 30th anniversary of his breakthrough as a world-class athlete after winning gold at the same event in 1977.
Local school children have been responsible for designing a silver baton, commissioned by Birmingham’s Assay Office as an official gift from the City of Birmingham to London 2012. The European Athletics Indoor Championships are considered the most important athletics event to be held in the UK prior to the London 2012 Olympics and for many athletes, is a crucial stage in the journey towards Olympic glory.
Lorraine Mackay, Marketing and Communications Director for the EAIC 2007 which will host 600 athletes, 700 international media and an anticipated capacity crowd of 15,000 people said,
“We’re really proud to be able to celebrate the city’s outstanding jewellery and sporting heritage at the European Athletics. We are very grateful to the individuals and companies whose talent and generosity have helped create some truly outstanding commemorative items for the event which will be cherished by their owners for years to come”