Jowell hails Ellen's heroics Blair eyes 2012 mission

Throughout the day she gave first-hand updates on this page as she travelled around on a 'Back the Bid' bus.

You asked her questions and sent in comments about the London bid, a selection of which can be found below.

Our Loughborough leg involved a visit to the English Institute of Sport's swimming centre.

It was full of 11 to 15-year-old boys on an elite training program, and they were really impressive.

These programs did not exist five years ago, and the 2012 scholarships we have introduced address the terrible waste of talent we have had in the past.

It has been an absolutely fantastic and inspiring day.

The support is out there and I want everybody to find their voices, back the bid on the London 2012 website, phone your local radio station, write to your local paper and do all you can to show your support.

I got a chance to meet the British speed skating team and the England ice dance team at the National Ice Centre.

Having been ice skating before with my children, I thought it wiser to sit it out and watch from the side.

The aim was to emphasise the opportunity that the prospect of hosting the Olympics provides for identifying young talent and bringing them to the point where they can be Olympic champions in their chosen sport.

We visited the Derby Dance Centre and met people from the East Midlands Arts Board.

I watched a dance troupe called Storm do a hip hop performance. It was amazing stuff - as athletic as any track and field event.

I decided to sit that one out, but applauded warmly! Next stop is Nottingham.

We were rather slow getting to Stoke because we got caught in traffic. There were roadworks and an accident to contend with.

I did an interview with Signal Radio and a phone-in on BBC Radio Stoke. I fielded questions, mostly sent in via text message, on a number of issues.

One lady phoned in asking 'what's in it for us?'. I think there's a lot of scepticism about this, but people are quite reassured when you take them through the funding package.

Much Wenlock is a real part of modern Olympic history.

A local doctor, William Penny Brookes, established the Much Wenlock Olympics because of his belief in the importance of health and fitness.

The events included wheelbarrow racing and were very influential in the development of the modern Olympics in 1896 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who visited Much Wenlock.

I met some of the young people who compete in the Much Wenlock Olympics, and I hope to link this event with the cultural festival which would lead up to a London Olympics.

My second stop was Villa Park, a beautiful stadium which will stage football matches if London hosts the Games in 2012.

Villa manager David O'Leary, Birmingham manager Steve Bruce and West Brom's Bryan Robson were all there to sign our giant 'Back the Bid' flag.

These are three men divided by rivalry, but they have all come together to back the bid, and they were very enthusiastic about it.

After a 5am wake-up call, I began the day handing out leaflets in Birmingham city centre with council leader Mike Whitby.

We gave out some flags and pins and, considering people were walking to work bleary-eyed on a cold Monday morning, they were amazingly positive and upbeat.

They obviously wanted to know what is in it for Birmingham if London gets the Games.

I told them about our plans to relocate the five swimming pools and four sports arenas to the rest of the UK, which could well involve Birmingham.

Tessa Jowell responds to some of your comments

Always touted as London's bid, not the UK bid. London area gets improvements, sports facilities, roads, rail etc - the rest of the country pays for it but gets no benefit in their everyday lives? No wonder the majority of the UK aren't backing the bid!
Lee Mayhew, York

Londoners will pay for this and the lottery will pay for it, but the whole of the country will benefit once we win the bid. A dedicated lottery game will be played every week and well over �700m will go towards the Olympics. The rest will come from the lottery and �650m from London council tax payers. A lot of the infrastructure would be going into London anyway, just as there is a lot of investment going into Leeds and the rest of Yorkshire. It's not true that this is sucking all the investment into London. TJ

When ministers have to travel the country in an attempt to convince people to support the bid, shouldn't the fact that such a tour is necessary show that the majority of the population do not support them?
liam, Dronfield, Derbyshire

I think you're quite wrong. The majority of people in this country do support the bid. We've got support running at about 70%, and 80% in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Every time we see great sporting triumphs, like with Ellen MacArthur last week, people remember what the Olympics is all about. That kind of achievement makes us all proud. TJ

The government is wasting money by bidding for the chance to waste an even bigger amount of money. A London Olympics would leave debts for the taxpayer to pick up and a white elephant stadium or two ... just like every other olympics. Let the French or Spanish have it and good luck to them.
Michael, Edinburgh

There will be nothing wasted in these Games. Five swimming pools and four sports arenas will be relocated, some to Scotland. One of the most deprived parts of London, indeed in the whole of the country, will be regenerated, and it will create a sports city that elite athletes from all over the country can use and be proud of. TJ

Im very pro the Olympic bid, about time really but I do have one concern. What are the plans to ensure that our already over burdened transport system is able to cope with the huge increase in pressure?
James Rogers, Bedford

The first thing is to point to the level of infrastructure investment going into London's transport - the Channel Tunnel rail link, the East London Line, the new Thames crossing and the Docklands Light Railway extension. There will be increased road links and more buses. Secondly, traffic flows in London fall by 20% in August because many people are on holiday. TJ

Go Tessa! Hope the rest of the day goes well and the Olympic bid process too. It will be great to host an Olympic Games that the country can be proud of. Good Luck.
Mike Grieff, Fleet, Hampshire

That's fantastic. I can't do it on my own, and we need the support of people like you and others who understand the vision and ambition of the bid. TJ

london 2012 give the impression the games are going to regenerate waste land,with the sports minister,again,yesterday morning on radio 5 live describing marshgate lane as a brown field site.if the london bid is successful, approx. 300companies and 17000 employers will need new working homes.as yet after 15 months of promises nothing has been offered.we face ruin and nobody seems to care
isaac behar, london

As I understand it, the London Development Agency is in negotiation with these companies and has made them an offer which is above the legal requirement. The IOC have agreed to meet the companies as well to hear their concerns. TJ

The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:

France had the World Cup in 1998, Spain had the Olympics in 1992, USA in 1996 and Moscow is simply not ready. Surely London is the fair choice? And as for the plans, has anyone actually seen Stratford recently? I can only pray we win the Games to clean up the east end! BACK THE BID!
Brad, London

When will bbc.co.uk start listening to all of us who do not want this bid to succeed? The Olympics in London will be the biggest farce and greatest expense London has ever seen and will put the Dome to shame. Why should I pay for this? Don't believe the hype - the facilities will not be for the public when this is over, they are for the University of East London. The building work required will cause delays and congestion in east London for the next seven years! The price is too high and we really really don't want it on our doorstep. A very unhappy Londoner.
Ben, East London

I have been working on the Olympics since 1999 and I am amazed by people like Ben from East London who are so negative. It is typical of the negative British mentality and negative press, these are the first people to hail it as a success when it works and take the credit, its quite sad.
Giles, Ex-pat in Madrid

We deserve to win this bid, Great Britain has supported and taken part in every Olympic Games.
Patricia Hogan, Surrey

Ms Jowell seeks to drum up support for the Olympic bid in the Midlands. However, her time would be better spent in her local constituency where the world-famous Herne Hill Stadium (used in the 1948 Games)has recently closed its doors. The stadium would certainly have been used as a training centre for the 2012 athletes - particularly the track cyclists. How does Ms Jowell plan to explain this state of affairs to the panel who will decide if Londodn is to get the Games?
George Rogers, Dulwich, London

Its a great opportunity for Britain to host the Olympic Games. It will focus the UK to have a wide horizon towards the world and not be blunted in its activities from Brussels, after the event the massive security developed in buildings and people could be put to use by the prison service. Good luck to win the honour.
John Barrow, Mansfield, Notts

There's more for discussion here than just the London bid, although personally I support it. Through getting behind the core principle of the did - that sport is a desirable thing for this country to be investing in - we can send a clear message to our Parliaments that, regardless of whether we actually get the Games or not, the people of this country want to push sport up the political agenda. At a time when we are about to rebuild half of our secondary schools, this is an opportunity we may regret not pushing forward.
Steve Phillpott, London

We still feel the benefits of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in many ways. They were expensive to host and much of the money came from Lottery funds, not local taxpayers, but it was unquestionably worth it in the long term. Let's see the bigger picture and back Britain's bid for 2012.
John, Manchester

This is all about the Labour egomaniacs making a name for themselves. Blair needs to stay here and get this country sorted out instead of swanning off to Singapore 'to boost our bid' in our name, again to make a name for himself...although maybe not the one he wants. There are far more important things going on in this country that needs their undivided attention - right now.
Barbara, Edinburgh, Scotland

I understand lots of people have concerns about issues like funding and transport problems, but having looked at the bid in some detail I can honestly say it is hard to find fault with it. I think now is the time to throw our support behind the bid. Problems can be dealt with in the years to come; the chance to host the Olympics Games is too great an opportunity to squander.
Alex, Leeds

As an ex-pat English citizen, I was worried to see 2 days ago on a brief visit to London that the flag poles flying the "Back London Bid" flags in Parliament Square were toppling over in the wind. I hope civil engineers are hired to build the stadium and facilities should London be "fortunate" enough to win the bid.
Drusilla Stacy Waddy, Rome, Italy

It's really disappointing to read the reactions of devoted "regionalists" to London's bid. The UK as a whole supported previous bids from Birmingham and Manchester. Huge numbers of Londoners supported the successful Commonwealth Games in Manchester. The London Bid envisages using football grounds all around Britain, as well as many of the training centres that the visiting athletes will use. Add to that the potential opportunities for businesses throughout the UK in a London Games, and the potential for all of the UK to change their attitude to sport and physical activity. Other countries don't debilitate themselves with narrow-minded regionalism. Let's Back the Bid
Michael, Belfast

Go Tessa! Hope the rest of the day goes well and the Olympic bid process too. It will be great to host an Olympic Games that the country can be proud of. Good Luck.
Mike Grieff, Fleet, Hampshire

Always touted as London's bid, not the UK bid. London area gets improvements, sports facilities, roads, rail etc - the rest of the country pays for it but gets no benefit in their everyday lives? No wonder the majority of the UK aren't backing the bid!
Lee Mayhew, York

My wife and I resent the assumption that the whole country is behind the London Olympic bid.In this part of the country, the main question is how much is it going to cost, who is going to pay,and what advantages are there going to be for those of us who live away from the South East.If London wants to stage the Games that badly, then let the people who live in the region foot the bill. After all,many past hosts of the Games are still paying for the event many years afterwards.
Tim Keefe, North Midlands

Staging the Olympic Games will be a tremendous boost for sport in London and the UK. For example, I live near the National Sports Centre in Crystal Palace Park which could come to house one of the competing nation's teams. This famous sports complex and athletics track is in much need of repair and refurbishment, probably even re-building. Such investment would leave an important legacy which would continue the current tradition and foster sport for decades to come. Local (and elite) sports people, councils, the LDA, other authorities and local residents have been working together to form a consensus on what is needed - we are ready for the challenge.
Ray Sacks, Near Crystal Palace Park

Could you tell me what Derbyshire will get out of the London Olympics and how much we'll be expected to stump up for it? I ask again as neither your department nor the 2012 website team have bothered to reply to this question which I asked last year.
Geoff Wilkinson, South Derbyshire

I do back the bid,simply that transport in the United Kingdom is a joke. How can you expect vistors to wait for trains that never arrive and tail backs on roads? Living close to the QE2 bridge /Dartford Tunnel it will be jammed solid for spectators coming from the south to north.
Bumble, Dartford,Kent

There is plenty of publicity about supporting the Games but where can one register one's lack of support for them?
Richard Smith, Fleet (Hants)

How much will it cost me and my family (of 4)to travel to the London Olympics, see one day's sport, stay overnight in a London hotel and return travel say by train? This why it is the London Bid and not the Uk's bid.
Tony Brown, Chester

I find it sad that so many comments on here highlight the inferiority complex held by non-Londoners towards the capital. People in the south east didn't try to scupper the Manchester Olympic bids in this way. The Olympics is a celebration of national pride and achievement, hence we will all benefit from the 'feelgood factor' it would bring, it is so much more than being just about money.
Andy Smith, Watford

When Birmingham and Manchester made their bids for the Olympic Games, there was very little support forthcoming from London. Steve Ovett even supported the Paris bid against Birmingham's. Why should we support this bid which is successful will only widen the gap between the South East and the rest of the country?
Andrew Hackitt, Birmingham

Im very pro the Olympic bid, about time really but I do have one concern. What are the plans to ensure that our already over burdened transport system is able to cope with the huge increase in pressure?
James Rogers, Bedford

I have only been to London twice, both times it was dirty, smelly and (some) of the people were very rude. I say to the IOC, Paris or Madrid would be better. And why should I pay for something I don't want and cannot see how I would benefit from. Sack the Bid!!!
Scott Sellers, Leeds, England

Squash should be included in the sports for the olympic Games, will you fight for inclusion?
Christine Raywood, Cheshire

This is not a question. Most Scots oppose a London Olympic bid for two reasons. Scotland will not benefit from any economic spin-off and sport in Scotland will directly suffer because funding will be cut to sports bodies to pay for the London games. It is a Lose-Lose situation for Scots, we can only hope the Paris bid is successful.
Malcolm, Dundee, Scotland