MORE than 20 organisations have joined forces in Dorset to orchestrate the smooth running of the sailing competition and associated events for the London 2012 Games.

A series of working groups in the county, collectively known as the Weymouth and Portland 2012 Operations Group, have the responsibilities of transport, visitors, culture, health, communications, safety and security, volunteering, live site and torch relay.

Key contacts for each of the groups will be bringing insight to their activities through a weekly column in the Dorset Echo and online at dorsetforyou.com/london2012 Here’s Jacqui Gisborne, regeneration and tourism officer at the borough council reveals a growing interest in Weymouth and Portland by international journalists.

NOW in its fourth year, the 2012 inspired legacy event, Spirit of the Sea reaches a crescendo of activity this weekend.

One new element to this year’s activities include Spirit Live – 87.7 fm, the radio station set up and operated by Weymouth College students, if you have not tuned in yet, then I recommend you do before the end of the broadcast on Sunday as it has all the latest news and views, chat and great music to celebrate the ever popular annual event.

The English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, coined a saying that: “The power of the pen is mightier than the sword” – we need to ensure this ‘pen power’ is channelled in the right direction to benefit us.

Since the successful announcement of London’s host city bid, there has been a notable difference in the approach being adopted by an ever-increasing number of visiting journalists.

No longer is the focus purely on holidaying families after the classic British seaside experience with candy floss and donkey rides, they now write and talk about the area’s architecture, heritage, history, food, watersports, business and general regeneration.

Since winning the 2012 Olympic bid, we have now hosted around 100 journalists from around the globe, including Japan, New Zealand, America, China, Brazil, Belgium, France, Canada, Holland and Germany. They are all inspired by how natural and diverse Weymouth, Portland and Dorset are and by the area’s colourful history and future plans.

Hosting international media does come with its challenges – we had to explain to one journalist that a ‘Free House’ was not an establishment that offered free accommodation but one that offered a variety of brewed beers.

We are working closely with Visit Britain to compile film footage of our wonderful Dorset countryside, coast and culture and this will enable the TV stations across the globe to show the local landscape and people of the area as they report on how we are progressing with your plans to stage the sailing events in the summer of 2012.

Keeping with the international theme, the Cycle West project was launched in London and is a European-funded initiative to enable and encourage families, groups and individuals to take cycling holidays via Brittany, Normandy, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.

The initial focus is on the route between the ferry ports of Cherbourg, Poole, Weymouth and St Malo - named ‘Le Petit Tour de Manche’. This is of interest to national and international journalists and again showcases our area for visitors. So finally, all respected, educated men were guided by ‘the pen’ and we will continue to ensure visiting journalists showcase our area and its many opportunities.