This week marks ten years since the start of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with the lighting of the anniversary flame on Friday 22 July and the Great Get Together on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Saturday 23 July.

With this milestone will come discussions about what the legacy has been for local communities in East London who have seen so much change over the last decade.

Hackney itself has been transformed in this time for the better. We’ve bridged the gap with other parts of the capital, moved on from outdated stereotypes around crime and inner city deprivation, and put ourselves on the map as a flourishing, forward-looking London borough.

Today, Hackney is London’s most diverse and best borough, more known for its fantastic schools, flagship parks and green spaces, vibrant nightlife, and cutting-edge cultural and creative sectors.

London 2012 was not the only factor, and this change hasn’t always benefited everyone equally. But overall, we’re proud of Hackney’s Olympic legacy and what it has done for local people as we continue to work to build a fairer, more inclusive borough.

Ten years does not mark the end of the journey nor the work on realising the legacy and there’s still much more to do to ensure communities in and around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park don’t get left behind.

But one thing is clear – because of what London 2012 brought to Hackney and East London, we’re better equipped to do so.

In the build-up to 2012 we identified eight priorities which, as a Council, we wanted to deliver for Hackney – from transport to culture, sporting participation to jobs and skills.

Over the next three weeks – ten years on from the opening ceremony on 27 July and the closing ceremony on 12 August – we’re marking the anniversary by taking a look at how we’ve delivered on these priorities, speaking with some of the people who have played a part in delivering Hackney’s legacy and looking at some of the projects and organisations borne out of London 2012.

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Philip Glanville, Mayor of Hackney