November 2012 On your marks, get set, influence

An event that explores how sport can be used for social, as well as physical, good is to be held at Leeds Metropolitan University on Friday 23 November.

Former Sports Minister and current Bradford South MP, Gerry Sutcliffe and Malcolm Brown, coach of Olympic gold medallist Alistair Brownlee, will be among those speaking at the event, which is organised by the Houses of Parliament Outreach Service in partnership with Leeds Metropolitan. On Your Marks, Get Set, Influence will show how politics, academia and people with a passion for sport can work together and offers the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of both the political and sporting sphere. Gerry Sutcliffe MP said: This event will be a good way for constituents and people involved in community sports to understand the work of Parliament and Government and meet others with a passion for sport.

There will be a variety of workshops and presentations throughout the event with sessions including Working with Parliament, Getting your message across: A PR toolkit, The Paralympics and Knowing disability and Whats political about Sport. The event also includes a panel discussion chaired by BBC Sports Tanya Arnold and featuring Phillip Davies MP, a member of the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Professor Alan White, who has recently worked with the Premier League to evaluate a mens health campaign, Gerry

Sutcliffe and Malcolm Brown, Olympic Performance Director at British Triathlon.

Dr Paul Wetherly, BA (Hons) Politics Course Leader at Leeds Metropolitan and organiser of the event, added: The conference forms part of the Universitys Festival of Politics & Applied Global Ethics and is an opportunity for students, academics and others from the world of sport, or who are interested in sport, to explore the relationship between politics and sport. Attendees will be able to engage with MPs and find out about how Parliament works and can be influenced, debating some key political issues such as realising the promised legacy of the summer of games. On Your Marks, Get Set, Influence will take place at the Rose Bowl on 23 November from 10.30am to 3pm. If you would like to register your interest in attending please contact eventsteam@leedsmet.ac.uk

The day is a Parliament Week event in partnership with the Houses of Parliament Outreach Service and also forms part of the Leeds Metropolitan Universitys Festival of Politics and Applied Global Ethics.

Ends

For further details please contact Carrie Braithwaite in the Communications team at Leeds Met on 0113 812 3022 or email c.braithwaite@leedsmet.ac.uk

Notes for editors: Leeds Metropolitan University has over 27,000 students and around 3,000 staff. The Vice Chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University is Professor Susan Price and the Chair of the Board is Lord Woolmer of Leeds.

Leeds Metropolitans four faculties are: Arts, Environment and Technology, Business & Law, Health and Social Sciences, and Carnegie.

Leeds Metropolitans heritage can be traced back to the founding of the Mechanics Institute in Leeds in 1824. The Destination of Leavers in Higher Education (DLHE) showed that the proportion of Leeds Metropolitan 2010/11 graduates in work, further study or both six months after leaving university was 91.87%.

Libraries and Learning Innovation at Leeds Metropolitan was awarded the CSE standard for the tenth year running in 2012. In 2012, Leeds Metropolitan was awarded a First in the People & Planet Green League, a league table of environmentally friendly universities, for the sixth consecutive year.

The Houses of Parliaments Outreach Service is a non partisan service designed to promote the work and role of Parliament, highlight its relevance to everyday life, and promote opportunities to get involved in its work. For more information visit www.parliament.uk/outreach

Parliament Week will run from 19-25 November, and is designed to raise awareness of democracy and democratic institutions in the UK, and to inform people about how they can take an active part in them. For more information visit www.parliamentweek.org