St Edmundsbury Borough Council is supporting its athletes taking part in the Paralympic Games in Beijing by flying Union flags over its offices in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill throughout the event (6-17 September).
Among those taking part are two of the council’s staff, wheelchair racer Brian Alldis, 22, an information assistant at the Bus Station in Bury, and 33-year-old Caroline Maclean, a member of the women’s basketball squad, who works with the Benefits team in Haverhill.
Cllr Lynsey Alexander, Portfolio Holder for Culture and Sport, said: ‘Flying the flags is our way of showing how proud we are of Brian and Caroline, and all the other competitors representing our country at the Paralympics. There is a real tide of enthusiasm for sport, following the fantastic achievement of our athletes in Beijing, and we are with them all the way.’
Brian Alldis has been wheelchair racing for eight years and is coached by Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson. He will be representing Great Britain in the 800m, 1500m, 5000m and the marathon. While winning a medal would be a bonus, Brian is using these Games as invaluable experience in preparation for the 2012 London Olympics.
This will be Caroline Maclean’s third Paralympics and she is hoping her team can add to their medal tally of four bronzes from top-flight European competitions. Caroline has played basketball since 1995 and, like Brian, trains every day either before or after work.
Family, friends and colleagues from St Edmundsbury have travelled to Beijing to support the pair and they plan to keep in touch with staff by email.
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Issued by Sally Easton, communications Unit St Edmundsbury Borough Council. Phone: 01284 757046 Email: sally.easton@stedsbc.gov.uk
