Wednesday 9 July 2014 Yorkshire has been in the grip of Le Tour de France fever for the past year, and The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL) was no exception. As soon as the race route was announced, it was clear that GSAL would be in a prime position to enjoy this once in a lifetime event. Le Grand Départ would set off from Leeds city centre on Saturday 5 July, and bring the publicity parade and peloton right past the school gates en route to the official race start for Stage One at Harewood House. A source of pride for the school is that the man responsible for turning Yorkshire yellow is alumnus Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire. His vision and determined charm offensive persuaded the race organisers to choose Yorkshire as the host of Le Grand Départ in 2014. The influence of Le Tour was felt throughout school during the year, giving a new focus to activities inside and outside the classroom. Preparations also got underway for La Grande Fête, the school’s own spectator hub and family fun day to celebrate Yorkshire hosting the world’s largest annual sports event. La Grande Fête combined a grandstand view of the parade with a day of fun activities for all ages. There was a real festival atmosphere, with over 500 hardy souls camping on the sports fields the night before. Head of design technology John Bagshaw masterminded the construction of field art on the cricket pitch – a straw bale bicycle broadcast to the world by the media helicopters. Helen Clapham, director of external relations at GSAL, said: “We knew Le Grand Départ would be something special, right on our doorstep, and would bring the world to Yorkshire. La Grande Fête brought people together to join in this momentous occasion and support the largest event ever to come to Yorkshire.” See photos from the day on our Facebook page General News
