Rochdale to fly the Olympic Flag

Rochdale is to host a special event to mark the official handover of the Olympic Games from Beijing to London on Sunday 24 August.

‘Flying the Flag - London 2012’ will include a reception for talented athletes and 2012 Olympic prospects from the Rochdale area and will culminate in the raising of an official London 2012 Flag at the front of the Town Hall.

Similar events will be held simultaneously in towns and cities across the country to coincide with the Olympics coming to a close in Beijing.

The afternoon starts at 1pm when guests will arrive at the Town Hall to be received by The Mayor of Rochdale, Councillor Robin Parker, and The Mayoress Ann Jones.

The Presentation of ‘StarTrack’ awards to Rochdale Borough Young Athletes will follow at 1:30pm and then Simon Jackson MBE will be presented with Rochdale's ‘Talented Athlete Support Scheme Award'. Simon is Triple Paralympic Gold Medal Winner in Judo and aspires to represent GB in Cycling at the London 2012 Paralympics.

The flag will be hoisted between 2:30 and 2:45pm to synchronize the flag raising with events in Beijing.