Bury St Edmunds will be hosting the Paralympic flame next weekend when it visits Suffolk just before travelling to London for the 2012 Games.
On Sunday 26 August the flame comes to Bury Leisure Centre as part of the Bury St Edmunds Sports Disability Event, at which people can try out a number of disability sports. Between 3pm and 4pm they can take pictures of themselves with the flame.
Afterwards the flame moves to Moyse's Hall Museum where it will burn on a special stand in the Great Hall, at the heart of the Suffolk Lap of Honour exhibition. It will stay there until Tuesday 28 August, when it joins the other flames at their birthplace at Stoke Mandeville Hospital before a 24 hour relay takes it to the 2012 Paralympic Games starting in London on Wednesday 29 August.
Cllr Robert Everitt, St Edmundsbury Borough Council Cabinet member for Bury St Edmunds said
"This is a terrific pleasure and honour. It has been said that the hallmark of the 2012 games will be its legacy and this is amply evident in Bury St Edmunds' impressive sport participation and in the links we have forged with Rwanda. The community has embraced the educational, cultural and sporting opportunities and hosted the Rwandan teams with great warmth. I know the rewards will be recognised in years to come".
Alan Baxter, Heritage Services Manager for the borough council, which runs Moyse's Hall Museum said,
"Visitors can come to Moyse's Hall free of charge to see the Paralympic flame alight in the Great Hall, and take pictures of themselves with it. They may want to visit the Suffolk's Lap of Honour exhibition there, which is part of the national Cultural Olympiad and tells the stories of Suffolk individuals who have participated in the games, over the years. They can experience a little of what it is like to be a participant, using objects contributed by the individuals. There is the chance to take a photo on the podium, wearing the London 2012 track suit, to the sound of the crowd in the arena."
Ends
Note: Moyse's Hall Museum is open from 11am to 5pm on Bank Holiday Monday 27 August, with last admission at 4pm.
