Olympic T orch

Olympic Torch on its way!

18 May 2012

Three-times Olympic Gold medallist Ben Ainslie will officially start the 70 day journey of the Olympic Flame tomorrow (Saturday) which means in less than two weeks it will be here in Wigan!

It will arrive in the borough on the afternoon of Thursday May 31 as part of its tour around the country before the Olympic Games in July.

To mark the countdown to the Olympics, leisure chiefs today unveiled a Cultural Olympiad Calendar with scores of activities planned over next few months.

Stuart Murray, Chief Executive of Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust, said: “From traditional Olympic events such as the 100 metres to scuba diving, community fun days to a National Skateboarding Day; there’s a raft of sporting events taking place across the borough over the next few months to celebrate the games. Whatever your age and whatever your ability, this programme has something for everyone.”

Cabinet member for Leisure and Culture, Cllr Chris Ready said: “The spirit of the Olympics is as much about taking part as it is about winning. This wonderful programme is an opportunity for everyone to feel part of the biggest British sporting event in a generation.”

Penny McGinty, head of Leisure and Culture for Wigan Council added: “Wigan has a rich sporting heritage and we’re delighted the torch is passing through the borough.
“This is a once in a lifetime event so we’d like to encourage everyone to be part of the celebrations.”

The Olympic Torch will arrive in Wigan on Thursday 31 May with numerous events organised along the route.

On Torch Day, there will be volleyball and Thai boxing in Walmseley Park, Ince  and community events in Abram. 

In Hindley there’s both patriotism, in the form of a Veterans’ salute as the Torch passes the town hall and slapstick, with the residents’ association planning their own ‘It’s a Knockout’ sporting party.
Not to be outdone, there’s plenty going on in parts of the borough away from the Torch Relay itself.  Leigh Sports Village is planning a triathlon as part of a week of linked events and several Worsley Mesnes schools are planning Olympic themed events.  Parties in the parks are planned at Ashton’s Jubilee Park (Sunday 18th May), Mesnes Park (on the morning of the Torch Day 31st May) and later at Pennington Hall Park in Leigh.

Wigan town centre will play host to The Anvil Street Drummers, art workshops, cycling demonstrations, sustainable transport events and promotions from the NHS, Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust and Wigan Youth Zone.

Lizzie Hendley, from Wigan’s Sports Development Unit, will be volunteering during the torch relay and will also be at the Olympics and Paralympics as a First Aider.

She added: “I’m thrilled to be helping out at all the events. It’s a massive honour to be one of the 70,000 volunteers selected for the Olympics  from the 250,000 who applied.”

Aspull wrestling coach, Roy Wood, will be carrying the torch through Aspull and will be coaching at the Olympic Games. He added: “It’s going to be a great summer. I’m really looking forward to it.”

For more information about the Torch Relay visit www.wigan.gov.uk
For more information on the Cultural Olympiad Calendar see main section of this website.

Wigan Library

Cllr Ready and Stuart Murray at the new library New Wigan Library set to open 06 January 2012 The north west’s only newly built central library to open in 2012 will unlock its doors to the public on Monday. With more than 70,000 books, 37 computers with free internet access, a large collection of CDs and DVDs, and an events programme packed to the rafters the new Wigan Library opens to the public on Monday 9 January. Set across two floors it is complete with a children’s section, a dedicated teen library space, reference, fiction and non-fiction departments and will host more events and author visits than you can shake a bookmark at! And checking something out couldn’t be easier! Using the latest radio frequency technology, the self-service system will automatically recognize each item. All you have to do is pick what you want to borrow, scan your library card, and let the system do the rest. Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust (WLCT) will manage the library on behalf of Wigan Council. Chief Executive Stuart Murray said: “This is a fantastic new facility and a flagship site for us. Libraries have changed significantly over the last few years, they now offer a range of services and events that cater for all ages and this wonderful building will serve to take our library service to a new level.” The new library is part of the Wigan Life Centre, a new public services “hub” that is due to be formally opened in February. Situated between Hewlett Street and The Wiend, next to Wigan Town Hall, the 6,500 square foot building will be the culmination of the council’s £217M Life Centre project. It will offer residents of the borough a new ‘gateway’ to all public services in the borough through a state-of-the-art customer contact centre. The vision will see any member of the public with a query about services provided by the council, housing, health and other partners have it resolved quickly and in one place. The new Learning and Information Zone follows on the heels of the Healthy Living Zone – which opened over the summer and incorporates new leisure complex, including swimming pools and gym, as well as council offices. Both sites have been built for the council by construction company Morgan Sindall and will be operated by the Council's FM partner Hochtief facilities Management. The town centre campus is also complimented by a network of local Life Centres in communities across the borough. Wigan Council’s Cabinet Member for Customer Services and Leisure, Cllr Chris Ready said: “The Life Centre campus will give us a new approach to serving our communities. “It will make it easier and quicker for residents to contact the council and other public services. “The council’s ambition is to create a ‘confident place with confident people’ and we believe the new Life Centre typifies this.” Matt Hilton will be the first author visit at the new library on Thursday 26 January.