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By Stewart Kellett Regional Director, Sport England

Last updated 11:42, Wednesday, 09 July 2008

OUR latest Active People survey showed that more people are taking up sport and physical activity in Cumbria than almost anywhere else in the country.

Congratulations to all of you who have got off the sofa and donned your trainers in the last 12 months.

Active Cumbria is clearly getting people thinking about adopting a sporting lifestyle, which is great news for the health and wellbeing of the people in the county, but also for developing the champions of the future.

It also a ringing endorsement for all the hard work of the Cumbria Sports Partnership, the local authorities, local schools, sports clubs and volunteers over the last few years.

I am delighted that Sport England could also be a part of this success in Cumbria, providing nearly £30 million of much-needed Lottery funding, technical advice on facilities and support to key projects in the county.

Cumbrians are definitely getting sportier, but we want to up our game across England and create a world leading grass roots sports system. Sport England is demanding new five-year goals, including:

n One million more people takling part in sport

n A 25% reduction in the number of 16-year- olds who drop out of five key sports

n Improved talent development systems in at least 25 sports.

London 2012 offers us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get it right, to create a structure that allows sportsmen and women to maximize their potential from the moment they first encounter a sport.

The Games aren't just about London. Over the next four years, we could see Olympians training and preparing for London 2012 at Kendal Judo Club or Carlisle's Sheepmount Stadium. These facilities made it into the official Olympic directory of pre-2012 games training camp venues

In just a few weeks, many of you will be cheering British athletes over the line at Beijing. I hope the buzz you get from the Games inspires you over the line yourself to get more active through sport.