Cumbria County Council has arranged for three local sporting figureheads to sets the sights high when Britain takes on the Olympic mantle from China on Sunday (24 August).
During the Olympic closing ceremony, one of the traditions is that the host of the games hands over the Olympic flag to the next city to stage the event. As London will host the 2012 Olympics, communities across the UK are being encouraged to celebrate the handover moment by flying the London 2012 flag.
Cumbria will be ensuring that the middle part of the Olympic motto "faster, higher, stronger" lives up to its name by planting a flag at the highest point in England, the 978m-summit of Scafell Pike.
Mountaineering legend Sir Chris Bonington will be joined by 72-year-old fell running supremo Joss Naylor and 16-year-old budding Cumbrian distance runner Laura Park in an ascent to the summit. The three will unfurl the London 2012 flag at 2.30pm to coincide with the closing ceremony in Beijing.
Sir Chris Bonington, who has lived in Cumbria since 1974, said:
"Mountaineering was one of the original sports identified by Baron de Coubertin for inclusion when the modern Olympics began in 1896, so this a particularly fitting event to mark an exciting four years for British sport. The whole of the world's eyes will be on London in four years time, so we want to kick off our Olympic adventure in style in Cumbria."
Joss Naylor, the best known fell runner Cumbria has ever produced, said:
"It's always a pleasure to be at the top of Scafell Pike as it's got one of the greatest viewpoints in the country and is one of the most visited spots in the Lakes. But this Sunday will be a particular pleasure as we'll be flying the flag for Britain. Hopefully the publicity that's generated around the Olympics will encourage more and more young people to take up sport."
Laura Park, the Maryport-based distance running sensation who has already won six national titles and hopes to compete in the 2012 Olympics, said:
"It's an exciting prospect to be flying the Olympic flag and certainly gives me a clear goal to aim for in four years time. It's a great honour to be asked to accompany two sporting legends to the highest point in England to mark this occasion."
Cumbria County Council's Leader Tim Stoddard said:
"Cumbria County Council's motto is 'Lift up thine eyes to the hills', which is also a fitting statement in the Olympic context. We're all setting our sights high for the 2012 Games, so flying the flag on the roof of England is a suitable start to our Olympic journey."
The group climbing England's highest peak will also include representatives of Cumbria County Council and agencies such as the Lake District National Park and the Lake District Mountain Rescue Association. Richard Warren, Chairman of the Lake District Mountain Rescue Association, said:
”Although not a sport, the sheer drive and determination required by volunteer mountain rescuers to keep going when the body is saying stop and rest is not dissimilar to that of an athlete. As a charity, we were very pleased to be involved in the planning of this event and look forward to an incident-free day."
ENDS
Please note: Cumbria County Council's media team telephone numbers have now changed.
Media enquiries to Gareth Cosslett, News Manager on 01228 226332