Home Page Haverhill News

The local economy benefited substantially from hosting the Tour of Britain cycle race which came through Haverhill in September, according to an economic impact report recently published.

Suffolk and Essex, who jointly hosted stage seven of the UK’s biggest professional cycling event, saw local economies boosted by £2.5m by tens of thousands spectators that lined the route to cheer the riders on.

The independent report conducted by Ekosgen surveyed spectators about their experience of watching stage seven of the Tour of Britain.

The majority of spectators that attended the penultimate stage of the tour lived within the east of England and travelled as part of a small group or family to the event.

Spectators found the Bury St. Edmunds to Colchester race to be a pleasant experience with 93 per cent of respondents to the survey saying they found it ‘very enjoyable’.

And with one fifth of spectators staying overnight to watch the race, the additional economic benefit to tourism in the area from visitors returning to explore the region looks positive.

Cllr Rosemary Clarke, Suffolk County Council’s portfolio holder for sport, culture, diversity, health and wellbeing, said: “The results from the Impact report for the Tour of Britain are extremely pleasing and reinforce the value of hosting major sporting events in the county.

"Such events contribute directly to our ambition to increase residents' levels of physical activity and lead healthier lifestyles and make Suffolk the healthiest county in the UK by 2028.”

The event also had an impact on spectators aspirations to become active themselves, with almost two-thirds saying that attending the tour had encouraged them to cycle more often.