Lighting the Way for the Paralympic Games

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You can help light the way for the Paralympic Games over the August Bank Holiday 24 – 29 August.

Next week the London 2012 Olympic Games begin, which marks just over one month to go until the Paralympic Games

How you can get involved in ‘lighting the way’

Over the August bank holiday, Flames from our four nations’ capitals will travel to Stoke Mandeville, where the Paralympic Games were born. On 28 August, they’ll join to create the Paralympic Flame. This Flame will then travel through the night from Stoke Mandeville to the Paralympic Opening Ceremony in London.

London 2012 are encouraging communities and sports clubs (& Churches) to show their support for some of the most amazing athletes on earth by making their own lanterns and attending Flame events. 15,000 people are signed up so far, and they are planning Light a Lantern-themed celebrations across the country. For more information on Light a Lantern you can visit the London 2012 Local Leaders website, Here you can download posters to promote your event, get lantern-making ideas and other activities to bring people together.

If you want to join in with the ‘Light a Lantern’ celebrations, get started by:

1.      Signing up to receive the London 2012 Local Leader newsletter

2.      Visit www.london2012.com/lightalantern to get involved now

3.      Start planning your event with the Light a Lantern posters and other tools

4.      TellTom@London2012.com you plans so he can feature you in our website and photo galleries.

5.      Add your Light a Lantern event to the London 2012 What’s On event listings.

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London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Ltd

One Churchill Place

Canary Wharf

London E14 5LN

www.london2012.com/localleader

Brighton & Hove Welcomes the Torch

The Churches in Brighton and Hove are preparing not only to welcome the Torch but also the Prayer Baton and the Praise Bus – and you can get involved...

Monday 16^th July

11. 30 am – 2.30pm The More Than Gold Prayer Baton will be received from Portsmouth at the Connaught Fresh Start Community Centre 131 Lewes Road Brighton BN2 3LG.  Preparations will be made to send prayers and blessings onto Hastings. For more information contact Jerome Joseph: jerome.joseph@ntlworld.com

Churches are being encouraged to join in a ‘cascade of prayer and praise’ during the 70 days of the Olympic Torch relay that started from Lands End on the 19th May with Church leaders, including the Bishop of Truro. A baton full of prayers was taken to Plymouth, the second stop on the Olympic Torch route. From there the exchange has continued from location to location and will continue throughout the whole of the UK and beyond.

More Than Gold: http://www.morethangold.org.uk/

3.00pm – 3.30pm (approx time) The Praise Bus arrives. This has been travelling the Torch route bringing praise and blessings to communities. It will stay overnight in Brighton before journeying on to Hastings. The Bus has a small team and they are inviting local churches to provide live music onboard on the 16^th & 17^th as the Bus travels the Torch route. For more information contact: Gordon Banks gordon.banks@diochi.org.uk

For more information on the Praise Bus check out their Facebook page

www.facebook.com/#!/ThePraiseBus

5.55pm The Olympic Torch Relay will enter the city at Hove. The flame will arrive in the official convoy vehicles and be transferred to the first of the city’s torchbearers You can find more details about the exact route, timings, etc. on the Brighton and Hove City web site at www.brighton-hove.gov.uk putting ‘Torch Relay’ into the search box. 

Other useful links…

London Olympics & Paralympics 2012: http://www.london2012.com/

Diocese of Chichester

www.diochi.org.uk linking into to the Diocesan 2012 Games blogspot