ARE YOU thinking about renting out your property for the 2012 Games?

The Dorset Echo has launched a new web page to enable residents and holiday homeowners in the borough to capitalise on the influx of visitors to the Olympic and Paralympic sailing events next year.

With less than one year to go, now is the prime time to advertise properties and get bookings for the once-in-a-lifetime event.

The simple web page enables internet users to register their interest, then a member of the Echo’s advertising team will get in touch to finalise the details.

For a one-off payment of £50, including VAT, residents and homeowners can advertise their properties for as long as necessary with no hidden fees or percentage payments.

Great grandmother Fran Lockyer, aged 75, is among the first to claim a place on the site to advertise her two self-catering cottages at Portland Bill.

She said: “I’ve got two three holiday cottages, one which I rent out already.

“It’s a beautiful situation to have and I want to make the most out of 2012, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event.

“I hope to get people from the media who will be staying for about six weeks – that would be ideal.

“I’m glad I’m on the Echo website, I hope it’s going to pay off.

“The Olympic sailing events will be quite an experience, something we won’t see again and have never seen before.”

The Echo’s ‘rent out your home’ web section will be accessed and promoted to readers of other Newsquest-owned newspapers across the country who will be encouraged to holiday in the area.

The ‘Weymouth Olympics 2012’ website also offers a directory of bed and breakfasts, guest houses, holiday accommodation, hotels, pubs and clubs and restaurants, a ‘frequently asked questions’ section and videos.

There is a ‘Meet the athletes’ section with profiles and blogs for the 2012 hopefuls campaigning to represent Great Britain in next year’s Olympic and Paralympic sailing events.

Other resources include news stories, links to webcams in the area, information on how to get involved in volunteering, the cultural Olympiad schedule, plus information about the Will Mackaness Trust – the chosen charity of the Going for Gold campaign.

Dorset Echo editor Toby Granville said: “We want our readers and visitors from outside the area to be able to make the most of the 2012 sailing events.

“We’re thrilled that our Going for Gold news platform has had such a great response so far.

“We hope to build on this success and to encourage our readers to grasp the opportunities we’re offering online ahead of the biggest tourist attraction ever to be hosted in Weymouth and Portland.

“This is a unique event and we are thrilled to be at the heart of it.”

Visit dorsetecho.co.uk/olympics to find out more and dorsetecho.co.uk/weymouth_olympics_2012/where_to_stay_weymouth_portland_olympics/