Jamaican High Commission United Kingdom

Jamaican high commission

Johnson gets Olympic legacy programme going in Birmingham

July 1, 2011

A plan to create a lasting legacy from Jamaica’s participation in the 2012 Olympic Games has been set in train.

Johnson gets Olympic legacy programme going in Birmingham

Leader of Birmingham City Council, Councillor Mike Whitby has pledged to establish a team to explore opportunities for Jamaica arising out of the city’s staging of the training camp for the 2012 games.

Councillor Whitby told Jamaican High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Anthony Johnson that a team of regeneration specialists would be appointed to drive the process of facilitating Jamaican entrepreneurs in the city.

High Commissioner Johnson met with Mr Whitby during his first official tour of the UK’s second city. He also met with black business leaders in the city and addressed Jamaicans at a community meeting. The High Commissioner also toured the University of Birmingham’s sporting facilities where the Jamaican team will prepare ahead of the 2012 games.

High Commissioner Johnson called for more entrepreneurial activity among the 60,000 strong Jamaican community in Birmingham. He noted with concern that the importation of Jamaican foods was not controlled by the Jamaican community, and other tropical countries had displaced Jamaican groups in the market.

High Commissioner Johnson said he would like to see the establishment of up to 10 full service Jamaican restaurants in Birmingham to offer the city’s 1.5 million inhabitants the experience of Jamaican dining and culinary culture. He said there were other areas of business where Jamaicans had interests and would benefit from the support of the council in establishing and growing their businesses.

Councillor Whitby said the success of the sporting relationship between Jamaica and Birmingham thus far had set the stage for a successful cultural and economic legacy.