Bill Morris: Take up the baton and go for a personal best

Its vast athletic arm was swinging fast towards the West Towers of York Minister. This was no worthy contribution to a lifetime of

refurbishment for one of the UK's architectural masterpieces. Instead, my somewhat rusty metal companion was supporting a group of French street theatre marionettes. Compagnie Transe Express specialise in "human mobiles" hundreds of feet above the air. The gasps of awe from voluble crowds in one ear were matched by the volley of risk assessments from health and safety officials in the other.

We toured the same show to the then new Millennium Square in Leeds and Centenary Square in Bradford. Audiences were enormous and the response unforgettable. This was 2001 when Yorkshire was one of the best ever hosts of the BBC Music Live Festival. Little could I have realised that the spirit there and then in three very different Yorkshire cities would inform our plans almost a decade later to host the greatest event in the world – the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Yorkshire's response to BBC Music Live was characterised by fierce pride in a rich and diverse local culture, matched only by the welcome and curiosity shown to world class performances from all over the globe.

The chemistry of most great festivals demands that the very best inspire us with performances out of the ordinary, and then we the ordinary are given a ready pathway to explore our own personal best – the perennial balance of excellence and participation. In sport and in culture, the Olympic and Paralympic Games are no different. We anticipate world records as we welcome the greatest athletes from around the world and we plan for a generation who take up sport. The Cultural Olympiad is born from the same mindset.

The four-year London 2012 culture programme will culminate in a 12- week festival in two years' time starting on June 21, 2012. Many of the UK's and the globe's best artists will showcase one of our national assets – our world- beating cultural sector. Of equal importance is the chance to inspire young people to find their talent and take up a cultural challenge. In both these areas of the Cultural Olympiad, Yorkshire is leading by example.

As part of the Cultural Olympiad project "Artists Taking The Lead", Leeds Canvas has been awarded the opportunity to present a citywide collaboration between artists and arts organisations using the buildings, streets, and people of Leeds as the "canvas" of the project.

Yorkshire-based arts organisations won two of the first 10 commissions announced for Unlimited – the UK's largest programme celebrating arts, culture and sport by disabled and deaf people. And only last month Sebastian Coe, chair of London 2012, visited Yorkshire to award the UK's 500th Inspire Mark project to Steps to Inclusion, an innovative disability coach education programme based in Sheffield. London 2012 will have literally inspired change and personal bests in millions of people across the UK through the Cultural Olympiad.

Within a couple of days, we'll be marking two years to go before the Olympic Cauldron is lit on the opening ceremony of the 30th Olympiad and the emphasis is on personal challenge. The third London 2012 Open Weekend, supported by BP, invites us all to try something new – it could be a cultural opportunity in dance or visual art, drama or music, or a toe in the water of a brand new sport.

More than 900 events will take place across the UK, I'm looking forward to being back in Leeds to kick off the weekend. There will be 84 Open Weekend events across Yorkshire, including a dance extravaganza in Bradford, a Mad Hatterz Tea Party in Wakefield, a circus skills challenge in Sheffield, a parkrun in Leeds and even a siege at Knaresborough Castle!

In the spirit of the great Olympians and Paralympians, rise to your own challenge this weekend – and take a few risks to discover your personal best. After all, when I last looked at York Minister it was none the worse for a close shave with a cultural trailblazer.

n The London 2012 Open Weekend, supported by Yorkshire Gold, the regional committee for London 2012, takes place from today to Sunday July 25. Full listings are at www. london2012.com/openweekend

Bill Morris is London 2012 Director of Culture, Ceremonies, Education and Live Sites.