WHILE everyone is getting all steamed up about the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in London, thousands of people are quietly and industriously preparing for a spectacular launch here in Dorset.

As well as hosting the sailing and windsurfing Olympic and Paralympic events this summer, Weymouth and Portland will be the stage for Maritime Mix, a range of amazing cultural events running from now until September 9.

This Cultural Olympiad by the sea is the umbrella for everything from mini-festivals and drama to music, poetry, dance and art installations including the Legacy Trail, which will link outstanding wildlife sites and landscapes across Weymouth and Portland via a series of three-dimensional sculptures framing views along the trail and coast.

One of the biggest and most dramatic events will be Battle for the Winds, which has been months in preparation and will climax on Weymouth beach and High Angle Battery on Portland between July 26 to 28 and involve a cast of thousands from all over the South West.

Summoned by Aeolus, Father of the Winds, groups of Wind Gatherers from Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and, of course, Dorset, have been collecting the breezes in fantastical ‘Wind Gathering Vessels’. The winds will be released to power the windsurfing and sailing events, but as they draw closer the stone creature Doldrum tries to steal the winds and trap them forever in his lair at High Angle Battery on Portland, preventing the contests from taking place.

However, a group of unlikely champions – members of community groups from all over the area – emerge to defy him and save the day.

So far more than 400 people have signed up to be torchbearers, but organisers are hoping to end up with a role call of thousands when the day arrives.

Activate, the Dorset-based theatre and dance development agency, has already set up a county-wide network of people and groups who want to be involved. Niki McCretton, the Bridport-based performer who runs Stuff and Nonsense Theatre Company with Marc Parrett is working as Dorset’s lead artist for Battle for the Winds.

She is also looking for 16 ‘up for it’ mobility scooter drivers to take part in a scooter ballet on Weymouth seafront.

She is being joined by West Dorset performer Herbie Treehead, who is acting as Dorset’s Chief Wind Gatherer.

Niki said: “It is going to be an amazing spectacle, really huge. We have teams of artists building these crazy wind-gathering machines in the different counties, each with their different style and flavour, and they will all descend on Weymouth seafront in time for the battle.

“The Dorset one is amazing. It is made up of a bicycle that takes seven people, all sitting in a circle. “There will be a platform on top and Herbie will be there gathering the wind, playing a keyboard and handing out kazoos for people to play and collect their own wind. It will be really eccentric, but really brilliant.”

As well as bonkers vehicles, Battle for the Winds is also being lavishly dressed, with costumes designed and created by Sarah Dicks, a current masters student at Arts University College Bournemouth, heading up a team of design students from AUCB. Sarah has been travelling across the region talking to core artists and the artistic directors, to start creating the 39 costume designs for the main show. Billy Alwen is one of the artistic directors of Cirque Bijou, the Bristol-based performance artists spearheading Battle for the Winds with outdoor arts company Desperate Men.

“I think the way this story is being told is pretty unique,” said Billy. “It is also very pertinent to the region, with the gathering of winds for the sailing. Each county is gathering its own story together and that’s where it has become really important for local communities. It has been so successful in getting local people involved.

“It is a national project with national focus but local relevance. That’s why despite the drop in funding the inspiration that people have put into it has made it happen. It’s quite extraordinary.”

The telling of Battle for the Winds commences at Lyme Regis Fossil Festival on May 6, when Dorset’s vehicle will make its first public appearance. It will then be seen in Bridport on July 4, Shaftesbury’s Gold Hill fair on July 7, Christchurch on July 10, Poole on July 12 and Bournemouth on July 13 as part of the Olympic torch festival. If you are interested in taking part in Battle for the Winds, would like to be a torch bearer or take part in the mobility scooter ballet, you can sign up via the Battle for the Winds website at battleforthewinds.com or contact Activate on 01305 260954.