The report was paid for jointly by British Cycling, Sport England and UK Sport and compiled by researchers at the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University, the report covers awareness of the event, its perceived impacts, and the extent to which it influenced changes in physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, individual and community development.
The report is based upon an initial 1,478 responses and only 385 ‘matched pairs’ or people that also completed a survey after the event.
So that is 385 who were asked and were sufficiently motivated to respond to the survey again.
The report says it highlights the impact among those who interacted with the event or were affected by it.
The report apparently shows:
- 57% of those who were surveyed felt more proud of Yorkshire/UK and 52% felt more positive about where they live
- 79% of Yorkshire residents reported a sense of excitement for the event while 72 per cent said the event provided more opportunities to meet people from within and outside the region
- 45% were inspired to take up cycling or cycle more, and 47% were inspired to do more sport and active recreation generally
- 49% felt the event had brought their local community closer together and 42% were encouraged to give more to their local community
Noticeable gaps of the report is any mention of the impact of the event to any Harrogate Business. It is of course a niche event that if you are motivated to go to, you would have got what you expected.
Councillor Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said:
This report shows that the UCI Road World Championships has inspired people to get more involved in sport.
Living an active lifestyle has such a significant impact on health and wellbeing and can help prevent longer-term health issues.
The report follows a study paid for by Harrogate Borough Council last year. That impact study made claims that 84% of people who came to watch the event were satisfied or very satisfied with it, and it resulted in a £17.8 million-pound boost to the local economy.
Harrogate Borough Council has once again not been empathetic to the plight of many businesses during the event, with some seeing their worst trading figures during the event for many years.
Councillor Lumley added:
It is inevitable that hosting an international event of this scale can cause some disruption on day-to-day life. But the global television audience has no doubt left a lasting impression on what Yorkshire and specifically the Harrogate district has to offer. This will no doubt encourage a number of visits in the future which our tourist economy so desperately needs.
The UCI Road World Championships were held in the UK after a gap of 37 years and were secured after a successful joint bid by British Cycling, UK Sport, Welcome to Yorkshire and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
A minority may have enjoyed it. Buisnesses didn’t nor did home care workers who’s lives were a nightmare. They lost a lot of wages too. Hope it never happens again
I can just imagine that lasting impression of a deluge of rain followed by a Stray that has taken years to recover. It was a complete and utter shambles with any money being made by pop up bars all going to people from outside of Harrogate. Has anyone sent a survey out to ask the residents and businesses in Harrogate what they lost due this farce? No is the answer because you don’t want the reality of a financial disaster for the area to be revealed. It was an utter shambles.