Fan the flames of Olympic celebrations!

Olympic Torch Relay logo

On Saturday 23 June the Olympic Torch will arrive in the borough – so now‘s the time to get planning your celebrations!

The Local Leaders programme offers you the chance to bring the Torch Relay and Olympic Games to life by organising your own celebrations for this once in a lifetime event.

A range of handy hints on how to go about organising an event along with materials to help you promote what you’re doing are available from www.london2012.com/localleaders Whether it’s lining the streets to welcome the flame, organising an Olympic themed quiz, or getting friends round to celebrate the fact that the Olympics are coming, the Local Leaders programme makes it easy to get your ideas off the ground.

Penny Sharp, Director of Customers and Communities at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Becoming a Local Leader is a wonderful way of helping us celebrate the fact that the Olympic Torch is coming to the borough. It’d be great if as many people as possible got involved. We’re organising a whole range of fun activities, but we also want people to line the streets and cheer the Torchbearers on their way.

”We also want people to capture the day by entering our photography competition. To celebrate the fact that the Olympic Torch is coming and because it’s the International Year of Co-operatives, we want people to photograph the great times they have in the borough throughout 2012. There’s £300 to be won to spend on photographic equipment and the best 20 photos will be displayed around the borough. To find out more just go to www.rochdale.gov.uk/youmeandus.”

The Olympic Torch will come into the borough from Norden, along Edenfield Road around 1.50pm with the first Torchbearer carrying the flame from the junction with Elmsfield Avenue.

The flame will then be on full view as it’s carried along Sandy Lane past Spotland Stadium. It will turn left onto Bury Road and travel along College Road and Newgate before turning onto the Esplanade and is due to pass in front of the Town Hall at around 2.30pm.

The flame will continue on its journey travelling along Manchester Road, then Bolton Road up to Springfield Park. The convoy will continue until Torchbearers pick it up again on Rochdale Road East, at the junction with Crimble Lane. It then makes its way to Heywood town centre and is due to arrive at around 3.10pm. It will be on full view as it travels along York Street and Market Street before finally leaving the borough and heading to Manchester city centre for an evening celebration.

Events are being organised in both Rochdale and Heywood town centres with something for everyone – from flag making and face painting to brass bands and afternoon teas. More details of the events taking place will be revealed in the coming weeks.