Similar events are taking place across the country to mark the third annual Universities Week campaign, which this year looks at the contribution universities make to the Olympic movement, the sports industry and society as a whole.
The community are invited to share in the festivities, which take place on Tyndall Avenue from 11am to 4pm, and have been organised by the Centre for Sport, Exercise & Health.
Members of the University’s High Performance Squad – an elite group of students who have competed at regional level or above – will be giving demonstrations throughout the day and encouraging pupils from local schools to try various sports.
Taster sessions of more unusual sports such as lacrosse and koftball will also be offered by the student sports clubs.
Pupils from St George's C of E Primary School, St Peter and St Paul's RC Primary School and St Michael’s on the Mount Primary School have been invited along to enjoy the festivities.
They will be invited to make their own Olympic torches and design stamps to symbolise the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this summer, in addition to various sporting challenges.
Matt Edwards, Sports Development Manager at the University of Bristol, said: “It’s going to be a really fun and action-packed day, which we hope the wider community will be able to come along and enjoy. We wanted to show just how much is going on here at the University. It’s a great chance to invite people to experience university life first-hand and share in the growing excitement for the upcoming Olympics.”
Universities Week, which runs from 30 April to 7 May, aims to increase public awareness of the wide and varied role of the UK’s universities. The campaign is being coordinated by Universities UK and British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS).
This year’s event has attracted a number of high-profile ambassadors, including Dame Kelly Holmes, Tony Blair, John Inverdale and Boris Johnson, who are helping to highlight how universities benefit everyone, whether or not they have been to university themselves.
Professor Eric Thomas, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, said: “Universities Week 2012 is an excellent opportunity to showcase some of the fantastic work universities contribute to the world of sport, which is especially apt with the Games taking place this year. We don’t just offer great facilities, we encourage a healthy lifestyle, support top sports people in their ambitions and work with local schools to help develop the sports stars of the future.”