A RHAYADER artist has been commissioned to create a piece of work for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Chris Tally Evans has been announced alongside nine other groups and individuals from across the country to produce work for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad ‘Unlimited’ project which will celebrate disability, arts, culture and sport on an unprecedented scale.

Chris' involvement ‘Personal Best’ will be a nationwide community storytelling project focusing on turning points in people’s lives.

Chris told the County Times: “This ‘Unlimited’ commission gives me an unprecedented opportunity to explore my passion for people and their stories and weave them into an inspirational tapestry to touch the lives of many others.”

The intention is for the resulting tales of hard-won battles and personal triumphs to become a life-affirming online resource and audio soundscape, which can be downloaded or broadcast in a variety of public spaces across the UK.

“This will ultimately lead to a touring installation and series of interactive workshops for young people exploring the theme of inspiration, role models and turning points in people's lives.

The four-year London 2012 Cultural Olympiad started in September 2008, at the end of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. It is the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Games, designed to give everyone in the UK a chance to be part of London 2012.

Commenting on the 10 latest commissions, Ruth Mackenzie, director of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, said: “These are my first commissions since I started work for the Cultural Olympiad Board and I am proud to be working on a festival which will be offering more commissioning for disabled artists than any Cultural Olympiad and festival anywhere in the world.

"This is a chance to change the way work by disabled artists is perceived and enjoyed round the world, and we are thrilled to have such exciting commissions to get the programme started.”