WHILE London has bagged the lion’s share of the 2012 games and the accompanying boost to business, companies in North Yorkshire are making sure they don’t miss out on the Olympic effect.

Among those to benefit is Thirsk based Severfield-Rowen, which has provided steel for the 2012 Olympic Stadium and the striking AreclorMittal Orbit observation tower at London’s Olympic site.

Another North Yorkshire business made the Olympic rings which have been installed on London’s Tower Bridge.

Stage One, based in Tockwith, York, started work on the huge structure at Christmas, getting planning permission and dealing with various authorities.

The rings then took about two months to construct. The business, which operates around the world creating staging, scenery and effects for events, has previously worked on the Athens Olympics opening ceremony and the Winter Olympics in Canada.

Meanwhile, acoustics, dust and fume measuring business Dragonfly Consulting, of Selby , has advised and given design input to the builders of the aquatic centre at the Olympic Village, for which aggregates firm Lytag, based at Escrick , supplied lightweight aggregates.

York reclaimed parquet flooring business Eco-Flooring and Restoration UK fitted out a bus that will tour the athletes’ villages, while the York franchise of Little Impressions took casts of Olympic athletes to mark the one-year countdown to the Games for an exhibition at St Pancras in London.

The Olympic effect is benefiting two York businesses which have won contracts to help deliver a programme of cultural events. The Cultural Olympiad is a series of events taking place all over the country to bring the buzz of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to the regions.

Mosaic Events, based in York Eco Business Centre, is helping to promote and co-ordinate some of the events, while The Beautiful Meme, based in Walmgate, has done the brand rollout, advertising and campaigns for iMove, the Yorkshire and Humber cultural Olympiad programme.