LARGE Olympic rings made out of Portland Stone will be erected at Weymouth train station and then moved to the island as a lasting legacy of the home Games.

Plans for a new sculpture, being made by Albion Stone quarrying and masonry company, were revealed by the head of the borough’s 2012 Operations Team Simon Williams yesterday.

Speaking at an Olympic-themed business advice event at the Riviera Hotel at Bowleaze, Mr Wiliams said the large Olympic rings made out of Portland Stone would be erected ‘in a place near you soon.’

It is now known that the sculpture will be situated at Weymouth train station. After the Olympics, the sculpture will be permanently relocated to Portland.

Mr Williams also said residents would soon see ‘Olympic dressing’ of bunting, flags and banners spread around on lampposts, buildings, roundabouts and on new flagpoles as part of the ‘Look and Feel’ – a uniform for all 2012 Olympic venues, funded by central government.

Last November, borough councillors unanimously approved an application for advertisement consent for scores of temporary banners, flags and screening material, bearing 2012 colours and logos.

The total cost of the project locally is £440,000 which includes materials, installation, design and insurance.

Mr Williams said 500 community-designed deckchairs would be laun-ched in the ‘next couple of weeks’ and the Government Olympic Executive was providing support funding to pay for extra Games-time services such as street cleaning and waste services.

The operations team will be working with trade and innovation representatives to ‘bring people down and show them what the area has to offer”, including sites at Poundbury and Winfrith, and a ‘business embassy’ would be hosted in Weymouth College and other locations.

Around 90 business representatives flocked to the Open4Business event to hear London 2012 representatives provide transport and travel advice on how to ‘keep on running’ during the ‘17 busiest days of the summer’.

With six weeks to go until the start of the Games, businesses were urged to use the Olympic Torch Relay’s visit to Dorset on July 12 and 13 as a practice run for the London 2012 sailing events.

Meeting chairman Anna-Maria Geare, president of Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce, urged businesses to get ‘Games ready’ by using the four ‘Rs’ – ‘Reduce’ time on the roads, and work from home where possible, ‘Retime’ to avoid the busiest times for spectator arrivals and departures between 8am and noon and 6pm and 10pm, ‘Re-mode’ and cycle, walk or use public transport and ‘Reroute’ and walk the last part of your journey to work.

Dorset Olympic Board chairman and county council leader Angus Campbell said: “The Olympics is rushing on towards us.

“A huge amount of work has gone into it, it won’t be here for very long, take advantage of it.”

For more advice visit Getahead ofthegames.com or dorsetforyou.com/sailing2012