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And it looks like a well-known figure in Llangollen will be involved in the four year programme of cultural celebrations.

Gwyn L Williams, the former chief executive of the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, will be the creative programmer in charge of events in Wales.

When the announcement for the Olympics was made in June 2007 culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, described the Cultural Olympiad as "absolutely central" to the vision of what could be achieved.

"Winning the right to stage the Olympic Games in 2012 was always about more than simply hosting a few glorious weeks of sporting excellence in five years time," she said.

Mr Williams hopes his experience in the arts will give him a good grounding for the task ahead.

"Llangollen was an established festival with an annual rhythm, while the Olympiad is something we have had to produce ourselves," said Mr Williams.

Even people who have never heard of the cultural side of the Olympics will have seen part of what they do as every single ceremony – from the opening, to the medals, to the very end – is part of it.

"Anything from flower arranging in Talwrn on Anglesey to Welsh National Opera has the chance to be involved," said Mr Williams.

"I've taken this job on because I want to make a difference."

The initial response from within the arts community has been "fantastic", but there were people who had been disappointed when current projects lost money to the building of the Olympic infrastructure in London, he said.

The cultural events will also be bringing unlikely groups together to work for a common goal.

This includes a project between the Welsh-language Urdd and English-language Valley Kids.

"The idea of getting the two working together would normally be totally bananas but they are coming together because of the Olympics," he said.

Mr Williams is also planning to visit to the Paralympics in Beijing because a big part of the Cultural Olympiad is working with the disabled.


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