The new tool will mean that people in and around Cardiff can keep up-to-date and informed with Sport.Cardiff news and events which will be regularly updated by the team.

It also provides the opportunity for Facebook users to interact with each other and the Council’s sport development team by posting their own comments and photos. This will allow them to promote their own club as well as learn about other sports groups in the area.

Sport.Cardiff focuses on the improvement of grassroots sports development in schools, clubs and communities.

The programme aims to enrich the lives of the people of Cardiff through clubs, coaching and competition with a focus on children and young people.

It relies on the commitment of coaches and volunteers who give their time and energy to provide sporting opportunities for people of all ages and abilities and ensure the continued success of clubs.

They encourage children to get involved in one of the 350,000 participatory opportunities in Cardiff so that sport becomes a lifelong experience and the city is proud to have been awarded the London 2012 Inspire Mark for its volunteer programme.

Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nigel Howells said: “Facebook is a modern and successful way for people to communicate.

“The Sport.Cardiff fan page brings interesting up-to-date information to sport participants in a way not previously possible.

“The tool aims to reach more people of different ages so they can learn and stay updated with sporting and volunteer opportunities in the city as well as engaging in the exciting lead up to London 2012.”

To visit the Sport.Cardiff Facebook page please visit http://www.facebook.com/sport.cardiff

Entries need to be received by August 21 and entries should be sent to  events@cardiff.gov.uk with further information on www.cardiff-festival.com and www.jamiesitalian.com

The Cardiff Harbour Festival takes place over August Bank Holiday weekend an (August 27 – 29) and organiser Cardiff Harbour Authority have teamed up with Jamie’s Italian in the city centre to launch a competition to find a fish dish that will grace their specials menu – with the winning dish cooked for visitors at the festival.

The competition was launched in July by chefs at Jamie’s Italian along with Nick Woods, the current British Fish Craft Champion who works for Cardiff-based Ashton’s Fishmongers. The restaurant is looking for dishes with an Italian flavour, in line with their existing menu, and with Jamie Oliver leading a crusade against the oceans’ endangered species they want recipes that do not involve Salmon, Prawns, Cod, Haddock and Tuna.

The winning recipe will receive the honour of having their dish on the menu at Jamie’s Italian, plus dinner for two in the restaurant and a copy of Jamie Oliver’s latest book, along with an overnight stay at Future Inns, Cardiff Bay. Entries should be sent by August 21 to events@cardiff.gov.uk with further information on www.cardiff-festival.com and www.jamiesitalian.com

Cllr. Nigel Howells, Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture said: “It’s great to work with Jamie’s Italian on this exciting opportunity for all the budding Jamies out there. It’s also a great link to the Cardiff Harbour Festival which will once again attract many thousands to the waterfront over Bank Holiday weekend.”

The winning recipe will be judged by a panel of experts. Mary Needham, General Manager of Jamie’s Italian Cardiff said:  “Jamie is trying to promote an awareness of “the fish we should be eating” and a more educated approach to how we think about fish. The idea is that by using a wider variety of fish, sea levels will remain balanced and we will not see a massive depletion of the most popular or well known fish, as we are seeing at the moment. This is a great opportunity for us to work with Cardiff Council to promote this message. The winning recipe must be of a good, simple rustic Italian theme, with a source of origin, and a reason why they are using that particular fish.”

A key feature of the Cardiff Harbour Festival is the three-day British Fish Craft Championships 2011, featuring the skills of the best fishmongers.

Jonathan Adams, chair of The British Fish Craft Championships 2011 said: “We are delighted to be part of this competition. One of our aims at the National Federation of Fishmongers (organisers of the British Fish Craft Championships) is to encourage sustainability. Consumers in the UK eat huge amounts of salmon and cod, but tend to overlook other species, which is a great pity.  UK waters produce a vast array of fish with great taste, and firm flesh, making them ideal for a wide range of dishes. Anything that can be done to encourage the public to broaden their fish eating tastes is extremely positive.”

Cardiff Harbour Festival serves up its annual portion of Fish and Ships to amuse and entertain. Features to watch out for are:

• British Fish Craft Championships on the Sunday as the country’s top fishmongers try to out-fillet each other
• Welsh National Oyster Opening Championships on the Monday – open to all
• the Breitling Wing Walkers flying high over Cardiff Bay on Sunday at 12pm and Monday at 4.30pm.
• Tall Ships, including the ever-popular Matthew
• continental market stocking delicious treats from across the world
• sea shanty singers
• comedy walkabouts
• fairground rides and music
• The Last Resort – an alternate end of pier attraction, including the Best Dressed Pirate and Sea Creature Competition at 3.30pm on Monday afternoon.

More than 3500 visitors attended the free event at Roald Dahl Plas, Cardiff Bay and helped celebrate what will be an exciting lead up to the greatest sporting event on earth.

The event  was attended by special guests including members of the Australian, Great Britain and South African Paralympics teams.

It showcased the sporting opportunities on offer as Cardiff gears up to be a host city for the games.

Cardiff City Football Club (CCFC), Cardiff Devils, Glamorgan Cricket and Welsh Athletics were among the city’s key partners who helped the Sport.Cardiff team deliver a jam-packed programme of events throughout the day.

Visitors had free access to a wide range of sporting activities such as athletics, cricket, dance, football, golf, ice hockey, netball and rowing.

There were basketball matches, street dance demonstrations and the chance to kick a goal on the CCFC inflatable pitch.

The event also gave people the chance to find out how they can become an accredited volunteer and learn about opportunities to assist local clubs and sports groups.

Sport.Cardiff is proud to be the first local authority to be accredited with the London 2012 ‘inspire mark’ for the inspirational ‘Sport.Cardiff Volunteer Project’.

Coaches and volunteers play a crucial part in supporting the involvement of children and young people in sport. Sport.Cardiff operates a Coach and Volunteer Accreditation scheme for those working on our activities to ensure the highest standards of coaching and volunteering exist across the city.

Sports volunteering can cover a range of activities from coaching, player development, running training sessions through to club administration, fundraising and organising events, competitions and leagues.

The Inspire programme features a mix of projects from communities across the UK. It recognises exciting and innovative projects inspired by London 2012, one of these being ours to recruit, train, deploy, retain and reward committed volunteers throughout the city. These volunteers will inspire others to participate in sport and provide the essential workforce to sustain sports participation.

Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nigel Howells said: “Yesterday’s event marked an exciting countdown until what will be a fantastic international sporting spectacle as well as showcasing the excellent sports provision for children we have established here in Cardiff.

“We are thrilled to have so many incredible and talented sports people choose our city as their pre-games training camp and we are confident they will enjoy their time here in Cardiff as much as we will enjoy hosting them.

“Cardiff is proud to be hosting the first event of the Games at the Millennium Stadium and we expect an international audience to have all eyes on our city, cementing our place on the world sporting stage.”

Love Parks Week is a national campaign which supports and celebrates parks and green spaces and aims to encourage people to use their local parks and discover what they have on offer.

In support of the national campaign, Cardiff Council is running a fun and exciting programme of events to appeal to all the family, taking place at a number of the city’s parks.

Many of the events are free and include wildlife trails, art activities and games for children, a bat discovery walk and a heritage walk to learn about the history of one of the largest Victorian cemeteries in Britain.

Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nigel Howells said: “We are extremely fortunate that Cardiff boasts more than 56 formal parks and gardens across the city, seven of which are proud winners of the prestigious Green Flag Award.

“They are free resources that are vital in promoting healthy, active and happy communities.

“Our green spaces are beautiful and I encourage people to support Love Parks Week and learn what your local park has to offer.”

Love Parks Week is organised by parks charity GreenSpace. Founded in 2006, the campaign has grown steadily and is now established as a major event that is celebrated in parks across the country. Each year hundreds of events take place enabling thousands of people to get out and enjoy their parks and help put forward the case for reinvestment.

For more information about Love Parks Week please visit www.loveparksweek.org.uk and to learn more about events in Cardiff parks please visit www.cardiff.gov.uk/parks

Officers from the Neighbourhood Learning team will be joining shoppers on Queen Street on Saturday, July 16 to promote the new prospectus that is packed full of courses for adults covering computer training, languages, arts and crafts and much, much more, suitable for all ages and abilities at a variety of centres throughout the city.

There’s also the chance for visitors to Central Market and Central Library (9.30am to 3.30pm) to find out what’s on offer, speak to the team about the learning opportunities and pick up a free copy of the guide.

The Council has a range of courses available for people who are completely new to learning and want to broaden their horizons or for learners who want to build on skills or continue with hobbies they have pursued before.

Enrolment for courses, which start in September, opens on Monday, July 18 so there’s never been a better time to find a course that will inspire you to learn.

For those not out and about in the city centre on Saturday, On Course can be downloaded by visiting www.cardiff.gov.uk/learn  or from their nearest Neighbourhood Learning Centre. Alternatively, email adultlearningquery@cardiff.gov.uk

Executive Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Freda Salway, said: “There’s something to suit all ages and abilities in this year’s On Course guide. Saturday will be an opportunity for visitors to the city centre to get some advice on courses they are considering and whet their appetites for something new.”

Sport in the Park aims to promote a series of sport and leisure opportunities whist signposting adults and children to clubs and groups where they can take up sport and activities in their local community.

There will be a huge choice of traditional and non-traditional sports for people to have a go at, including cricket, basketball, freestyle football, BMX and street-dance.

The action packed day will also showcase local sports clubs and leisure providers, making local people aware of the facilities and sports opportunities that they have access to in their local community.

The event has been organised by the Sport.Cardiff 5X60 sports development team.

The 5X60 initiative aims to make young people in Cardiff more active by taking part in 60 minutes of exercise five times a week.

It comprises a variety of different activities from which the children choose what they want to participate in. Activities include competitive, team and individual sports as well recreational activities such as climbing, dance and swimming.

Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nigel Howells said: “This unique event is set to inspire people of all ages to embrace sport and leisure activities whilst strengthening and supporting local clubs.
“Sport and leisure are essential in maintaining healthy and active lifestyles and what better place to discover what Cardiff has to offer than in the outdoor setting of one of the city’s most beautiful and popular parks.”

Olympic archery contender, Amy Oliver was joined by BBC Children In Need star Pudsey Bear on a special visit to St Teilo’s High School last week.

The event saw Amy, Pudsey and the school’s 5×60 archery team photographed for an official 2012 BBC Children in Need charity calendar.

Amy has been keen to show the beneficial effects that the Sport.Cardiff 5×60 programme has had on schools in Cardiff enabling young people to take up sports such as archery.

The initiative encourages young people in Cardiff to be more active by taking part in 60 minutes of exercise five times a week.

It comprises a variety of different activities from which the children choose what they want to participate in. Activities include competitive, team and individual sports as well recreational activities such as climbing, dance and swimming.

The charity calendar is a fundraising project established by Hybu Pobl Ifanc, a young group of volunteers aged 16 to 20 years who dedicate their time to raising money for BBC Children In Need.

Each month features Pudsey taking part in a different sport such as snowboarding at the Manchester snow dome , racing a horse at Ffos Las, playing a game of golf and rafting racing .

Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nigel Howells said: “I am thrilled that Sport.Cardiff is involved in this project, helping to raise money for BBC Children in Need.

“We are committed to providing a diverse sports provision across the city and the 5X60 programme has given opportunity for young people to become more active and healthy through sport.

“BBC Children in Need is a fantastic charity and Hybu Pobl Ifanc should be praised for their work in raising vital funds for the cause.”

Marc Phillips, Head of BBC Children in Need in Wales, said: “The idea of this calendar has been initiated by young people in Cardiff and is a testimony to their considerable maturity, generosity and professionalism.

“BBC Children in Need is very grateful to them, Sport.Cardiff and to Amy Oliver. The ultimate beneficiaries will be children and young people in Wales who need our help to overcome disadvantage in their lives.”

Hybu Pobl Ifanc consists of a team of over 100 volunteers are based in Cardiff, Newport and Bleanau Gwent and meet up every week throughout the year to organise and take part in various fundraising exercises.

Tarnished Earth is a unique street gallery that features striking images of Canada’s magnificent Boreal Forest. Photographs show the contrasts between the damaged caused to the forest by oil extraction, with the area’s pristine wilderness and the traditional way of life of the indigenous First Nation Cree.

The exhibition which features large boards showcasing the photographs will be on display at the newly regenerated High Street throughout July.

The exhibition is one of the events featured in this year’s Cardiff Festival. The festival will run from June 30 until September 3, and will feature a diverse range of events including the Admiral Cardiff Big Weekend, Cardiff International Food and Drink Festival and the Cardiff Mardi Gras.

Before arriving in Cardiff the exhibition has toured the UK, including London, Birmingham and Leeds. The images where also displayed outside the EU parliament in Brussels.

Executive Member for Sport, Culture and Leisure, Cllr Nigel Howells, said: “Tarnished Earth is the first street gallery to feature at the newly pedestranised High Street, and I am pleased that the area is able to host this important exhibition.

“The powerful images are incredibly eye catching and will make people think about how our actions affect the earth in which we live.”

Further information on the Cardiff Festival can be found at www.cardiff-festival.com

The announcement was made by officials from the European Capitals of Sports Association (ACES) at an event held in Valencia this week. 

The winning bid followed an inspection of the city by a team of delegates from Europe.
During the visit they took a tour of some of the city’s sporting facilities including Cardiff International White Water and Cardiff City Stadium.

It was recognised that Cardiff has firmly established itself as a leading city for sport, offering state of the art stadiums and facilities including the Millennium Stadium, SWALEC Stadium and Cardiff International Sport Stadium.

The title of European Capital of Sports recognises the city’s commitment to providing sport as a social function whilst using it to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of its citizens.

Cardiff has played host to many national and international events, including the Ashes, Rugby World Cup and FA Cup finals, helping to secure a worldwide audience of millions.

The Judges were particularly impressed with the support of grassroots sport through its Sport.Cardiff programme  helping to train and deploy hundreds of coaches into schools, sports clubs and communities and has provided over 350,00 participatory opportunities.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Rodney Berman said: "There is no denying the city already has a fantastic sporting pedigree.

"We have successfully delivered several large sporting events, established a leading grass roots sports programme and have some fantastic first class sports venues. Our approach to the development of sport through both the Private and Voluntary sectors has been heralded by the Judges as a best case example for Europe.

"Cardiff is an ambitious city and this will be a huge boost not only further heightening our status as a top sporting destination but underlining our commitment to sport as a way of promoting health and wellbeing."

Executive Member for Sport Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nigel Howells said: "To be awarded European Capital of Sports recognises the city’s investment of time and money to establish a successful sporting infrastructure and our dedication to ensuring there is access for sport to all."

"We should be both proud of the recognition and excited by what the future holds for sporting opportunities in the capital."

President of ACES, Gianfrancesco Lupattelli said: "Cardiff is a wonderful city with a genuine ambition to use sport to improve and change the lives of its citizens, there is a real connection between facility development, major events and grass roots school and community sport, the award for Cardiff is well deserved and they can now join a growing network of European Capitals and Cities"