Sir Michael Parkinson, the SJA President, will welcome the world’s sports media to London ahead of next month’s Olympic Games at a special service to be held at St Bride’s Church on Fleet Street.
To be held on Tuesday July 24, the event will be multi-denominational service designed for journalists of all faiths, or of no faith, to reaffirm St Bride’s unique role as provider of spiritual and pastoral support to visiting media who will be in London reporting on this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games. A reception will follow the service.
Located in Fleet Street, St Bride’s, designed by Sir Christopher Wren in the 17th century, is known as “the journalists’ Church”.
Sir Michael will deliver an address which considers the role of sport within society worldwide and the importance of sports journalism as a means of communicating this across borders. He will also light a candle which will burn in St Bride’s until the Olympic flame is extinguished at the end of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Rector of St Bride’s and Archdeacon of London the Venerable David Meara explained the motivation behind the service: “St Bride’s has been associated with the printing industry and the media for some 500 years. With such a large number of journalists in London this summer, we wanted to extend both a welcome to them and an offer of spiritual and pastoral support.”
Barry Newcombe, the chairman of the SJA, the world’s largest national body of sports journalists, welcomed the opportunity for his colleagues from around the world to visit such a historic venue. “We at the SJA are extremely grateful to St Bride’s and their partners to give us and our international colleagues this wonderful opportunity to come together before the Games begin.”
The service will be followed by a reception at the nearby Stationers’ Hall, hosted jointly hosted by BT and the SJA.
The service will begin at 7pm, with the reception starting at 8pm.
- For further information or to register interest in attending please email sport@stbrides.com
- The Sports Journalists’ Association of Great Britain, founded in 1948 shortly after London last staged the Olympic Games, is the world’s largest national organisation for sports media, with more than 800 members made up of writers, editors, photographers and broadcasters. Since 1949, it has staged the annual British Sports Awards, and it also hosts the British Sports Journalism Awards every March.
UPCOMING SJA EVENTS
Thu June 28: SJA Laureus Lunch with all-time great Olympian Edwin Moses. Click here for booking details.