· Elaine Pearce, along with six Scouts, will climb mountain on foot
· Flame will be created by scouts at the summit
· Welsh Flame is one of four Flames being created across the UK
· Images will be available here
At dawn on Wednesday 22 August, a group of Scouts and Elaine Pearce, will climb Snowdon, Wales’s highest peak, to create the Welsh National Flame as part of the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay.
At the mountain peak, they will use a ferrocerium rod and strike it against a rough steel surface to create the sparks that will create the Flame. The Flame will then be placed in a miner’s lantern and brought back down on foot. It will then be transferred to Cardiff for a day of Paralympic celebration on Monday 27th August.
Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: “The combination of teamwork and human endeavour being used to create the Welsh Flame is a very fitting start to the Paralympic Torch Relay celebrations. This group of inspirational individuals will be lighting the way to a fantastic ten days of sport.”
Welsh Government Sports Minister Huw Lewis said, “We all saw the excitement and sense of pride that the Olympic Torch generated as it wound its way through Wales recently and I’m sure that the Welsh public will get out and support the Paralympic Torch Relay and Flame Celebrations also. Our Paralympic athletes demonstrate that a disability is no barrier to incredible achievement and I’m hoping these Games will inspire people with and without disabilities to get more active and involved in sport.”
The climb is expected to take in the region of four hours and will be led by local mountain guides. The six Scouts selected to take part in the Flame creation are Ellie Hamilton-Hunter, 16 years old, Owen Michael, 16 years old, Lewis Dowling, 15 years old, Tori McIntyre, 15 years old, Calum Hamilton-Hunter, 14 years old and Alex Peet Draycott, 14 years old. They were all chosen from communities local to Snowdon.
Ellie Hamilton-Hunter said “I am really honoured and excited to be part of this ceremony. I just can't wait to climb Snowdon with my friends and light the flame.”
The group will also include Elaine Pearce, 50 years old, from Bangor. Elaine has bipolar disorder and has been using outdoor activities arranged through Anheddau Outdoors to help deal with her illness. As well as walking she does cycling, gardening and voluntary work with the Rainbows.
Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales at an altitude of 1,085 metres above sea level. It is the second highest peak in the United Kingdom and is located in Snowdonia. Across the United Kingdom, three other National Flames are to be created on Slieve Donard (Northern Ireland), Ben Nevis (Scotland) and Scafell Pike (England).
The four individual Flames will then be transferred to the nations’ capital cities where they will each become the focus for a day of Paralympic celebrations. The Welsh Flame will light a ceremonial cauldron at City Hall on the morning of Monday 27 August. Followed by various community visits and a Flame festival that evening at Roald Dahl Plass.
For information about media accreditation to the various moments in Cardiff, please click here.
From the Paralympic celebrations in London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the four National Flames will be taken to Stoke Mandeville, the spiritual home of the Paralympic movement, where they will be united during a special ceremony on Tuesday 28 August to create the London 2012 Paralympic Flame.
At the end of the ceremony, the 24-hour overnight relay route will see the Paralympic Flame carried 92 miles by 580 inspirational Torchbearers, working in teams of five, from Stoke Mandeville to the Olympic Stadium to officially open the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
36 communities from across the UK have also taken the opportunity to host Flame Celebration’s over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
LOCOG is encouraging over 15,000 Local Leaders to help light the way to the Paralympic Games by getting people together to make lanterns and attend their local Flame Festivals, Flame Celebrations or hold their own Light a Lantern events.
For further information about the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay, please visit http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/torch-relay/
The London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay is presented by BT, Lloyds TSB and Sainsbury’s.
Suzi Williams, Director, BT Group Marketing and Brand, said: "At BT we understand the power of Paralympic sport to inspire people, that's why we're bringing teams together to run with the Paralympic Torch. It’s fantastic that this group of people have the opportunity to work together to start the Flame’s journey - this is their moment to be at the heart of a once in a lifetime experience."
Sally Hancock, Director, London 2012 Partnership at Lloyds Banking Group, said: “We are looking forward to the National Flames being lit on Wednesday marking the beginning of the Paralympic Torch Relay. Lloyds TSB will be bringing the excitement of the Paralympic Games to Flame Festivals around the UK and communities along the 24 hour Paralympic Torch Relay route to London. We are immensely proud of our inspirational Torchbearers who will be running in teams of five celebrating their phenomenal achievements within the community. We are calling on everyone to come to the Flame Festivals to see their National Flame arrive in their capital and line the route to cheer on our Paralympic Torchbearers as they make their way to London in this unique relay."
Jat Sahota, Head of Sponsorship, Sainsbury’s commented: “As proud partners of the Paralympic Torch Relay and the Flame Festivals, we have already taken the Torch into Sainsbury’s stores right across the country. We now look forward to sharing this once in a lifetime experience with our Sainsbury’s customers, colleagues and Torchbearers as the National Flames begin their journey to the Olympic Stadium”
-Ends-
For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or visit the website at www.london2012.com. Find out the latest from London 2012 HQ on our blog http://blog.london2012.com or follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/london2012
Notes to editors:
Broadcast footage of the Flame Lightings on each of the mountains will be made available on the evening of 22 August 2012. From 24 August, each day two short packages of broadcast footage will be made available. The packages will be available via the Footage library – accessible from the Media Centre on london2012.com and direct from this link http://footagelibrary.london2012.com. Media will need to register for access in advance. Registration is free.
The broadcast of the Paralympic Torch Relay is provided for Editorial Use Only. There can be no commercial association, no third party association and no commercial/ad superimposition on the video footage, unless the prior written consent of the IPC is acquired.
About the Scouts
The Scout Association provides adventurous activities and personal development opportunities for 400,000 young people aged 6-25. Internationally, the Scouts have over 28 million young people enjoying the benefits of Scouting across 216 countries.
Personal development means promoting the physical, intellectual, social and spiritual well-being of the individual, helping them achieve their full potential. In Scouting, we believe that young people develop most when they are 'learning by doing,' when they are given responsibility, work in teams, take acceptable risks and think for themselves.
For further information about the Scouts involved in this event, please contact either Chris Foster on 07889 804726 or Andrew Thorp on 07957 793707.
About the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay Presenting Partners:
BT is one of the world’s leading providers of communications solutions and services, operating in more than 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.
BT is the official communications services partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and a Presenting Partner of the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay.
In the year ended 31 March 2011, BT Group’s revenue was £20,076 million with profit before taxation of £1,717 million.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York. For more information, visit www.bt.com/aboutbt
All news releases can be accessed at our web site: http://www.bt.com/newscentre
Lloyds TSB is the exclusive Banking & Insurance Partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and partner of the London 2012 ticketing programme and the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays. The Bank is committed to inspire and support young people, businesses and communities across Britain in the lead up to London 2012.
As a National Presenting Partner for the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay, Lloyds TSB will be taking the spirit and inspiration of the Paralympic Flame right to the heart of communities across the UK. As part of Lloyds Banking Group, Bank of Scotland will be the National Presenting Partner in Scotland. Be the first to hear how to follow the Paralympic and Olympic Flames, through our customer-exclusive programme Trackside. For more information on how Lloyds TSB is helping take the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to all corners of Britain, visit:www.lloydstsb.com/london2012
Sainsbury’s is proud to be a Presenting Partner of the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay. Sainsbury’s is committed to promoting a healthier, more active lifestyle for all, regardless of ability, and supporting the values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality on which the Paralympic Movement was founded.
Sainsbury’s will be using its partnership of the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay to engage and celebrate those who make a lasting difference in attitudes towards disability in the UK and create opportunities for change in disabled people’s lives.
Sainsbury's is the first ever Paralympic Games-only sponsor and this landmark commitment to the Paralympic Movement is the largest sponsorship ever of a Paralympic Games.
For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or visit the website at www.london2012.com. Find out the latest from London 2012 HQ on our blog http://www.london2012.com/blog or follow us on Twitter
London 2012 Games partners:
The Worldwide Olympic Partners who support the London 2012 Olympic Games and the National Olympic Committees around the world are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos, Dow, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa.
The Worldwide Olympic Partners who support the London 2012 Olympic Games and the National Olympic Committees around the world are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos, Dow, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa.
LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are now twenty-eight domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Aggreko, Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, G4S, GSK, Gymnova, Heathrow Airport, Heineken UK, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, NATURE VALLEY, Next, Nielsen, Populous, Rapiscan Systems, Rio Tinto, Technogym, Thames Water, Ticketmaster, Trebor and Westfield.
There is one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games-only Partner, Sainsbury’s and one domestic Tier Three Paralympic Games-only Supplier, Otto Bock. The London 2012 Paralympic Games also acknowledges the support of the National Lottery
No comments:
Post a Comment