Looking for information about a council service?
News
Council calls on everyone to come out to see the Olympic Torch Relay.
Strabane District Council is calling on everyone from Magheramason, Bready, Ballymagorry, Strabane and Sion Mills and the surrounding areas to congregate in their nearest village on Tuesday morning 05 June to witness the Olympic Torch Relay pass through.
Just before 8am, the Olympic Torch will begin its travels on the A5 in Magheramason. It will travel on the A5 through Bready and Ballymagorry. It is expected to reach Strabane at 8.30am. It will come in the Derry Road and go into Abercorn Square, over the bridge, through Bridge Street and out the Urney Road. The convoy will then continue on the main A5 to Sion Mills, arriving at approximately at 9am.
Encouraging everyone to get out of their beds early on the bank holiday, the Chairman of Strabane District Council, Councillor Brian McMahon said: “This is a momentous occasion. A once in a lifetime opportunity for us to come together to witness the local heroes selected to run with the Olympic flame in our community. There are so many events and festivities planned. It really is going to be a fun morning. I really would urge everyone to come out to witness it.”
Each of the villages and towns have organised a range of events and activities to welcome the flame into their community.
- Magheramason will be lined with local community, sporting and church based organisations. The route will be lined with Olympic Themed bunting and flags in order to give the runners a warm local welcome to Strabane District.
- Bready will be a cultural spectacle, welcoming the flame with Scottish and Irish music and dance. The Villages Together community organisation have organised a Coffee Morning in aid of Marie Currie Cancer Care which will take place at the Sollus Centre, Bready.
- Ballymagorry will be packed full of children from the neighbouring primary schools who have been engaged in arts and crafts workshops in preparation for the event.
- In Strabane, the Café Horizon based in the Alley Theatre will be providing an Olympic Breakfast and the Alley will host short performance from the Gaelscoil, Lifford School and the Pop Dance in Academy in the auditorium at 9am. Strabane Cycle Club is also hosting an Olympic Cycle Challenge meeting at the “Tinnies” at 9.30am.
- In Sion, Sion Scouts are running their own Mini Olympics and Fun Day and Sion Mills Forum have organised a coffee morning.
Chairman of Strabane District Council, Councillor Brian McMahon said: “Schools, businesses, sporting organisations, community groups and arts and dance groups will commemorate the event in their own way. It promises to be a fun morning and would encourage everyone from Strabane District and its surrounding communities to join us in giving the Olympic Torch and its runner a warm welcome.”
Local people are advised that the Olympic torch will be carried either by a convoy of vehicles or by a torchbearer. Strabane District will have fourteen torch bearers running in a relay. The torchbearers will run from the Magheramason village sign to the national speed limit sign, from the Bready village sign to the national speed limit sign and from the Ballymagorry village sign to the national speed limit sign. Torchbearers will also run from Strabane town sign, in through the Derry Road, through Abercorn Square to the Bradley way/Urney Road/Lampton Court area where it will change to a convoy of vehicles. The final torch bearer relay will take place from the Sion Mills village sign to the National Speed limit Sign.
Ends-------------------------------------------------------
Notes to Editor
1. Locations, times, torchbearer and nomination story (where available) are detailed below:
| Location | Named Torchbearer | Nomination Story. (Where available) |
Magheramason 7.56am | Tony Culley Foster. Age: 64. Hometown: Virginia | A key aim of the ‘Inspired by London 2012’ programme is to convince those who regard physical activity as too much effort that it is in fact worthwhile, fulfilling and enjoyable. So who better to inspire the Northern Irish population to lace up their running shoes than the only Ulsterman ever to have run across America, Tony Culley-Foster. He is an inspirational figure, not only for his outstanding athletic achievements but also for the work he has carried out to promote community service and peace in Northern Ireland. Tony has always worked for and supported youth projects, and in particular sport, being recognised with a Public Service Commendation by five different US Presidents for his work. His great efforts, such as running the circumference of Ireland to raise money for the Protestant and Catholic Boy Scout movements, have gone a long way to help unite a divided community and are a great example of what Northern Ireland and the Northern Irish people can achieve through dedication and hard work. The Olympic virtues of courage, sacrifice and perseverance are extremely important to Tony and his example, if allied with the ‘inspired by London 2012’ effort, will surely highlight sport as an important stepping stone on the way to health and peace for all. |
| Francis Stokes. Age: 14. Hometown: Derry | ||
| Location | Named Torchbearer | Nomination Story. (Where available) |
| Bready. 8.06am | Marie Kirby Age: 59. Hometown: Derry-Londonderry | I would like to nominate my Mum, Marie. In July of 2012 it will be her 60th birthday. Apart from being a brilliant Mum, she has been a Primary School secretary for 35 years. She goes beyond her duty and is also the first aider, lunchtime supervisor, organises and supervises after school activities, transport. In the past two years she has helped to organise a `Women`s Wednesday` evening during term time for local women to take part in different activities including City and Guilds Computer classes (although that was one year). Outside of school, Mum is a carer in the community and assists our local church by being a Eucharistic minister and creates (voluntarily) wonderful flower displays at Easter and Christmas plus volunteers in teams to clean the chapel. When she is not doing any of those things she is Mum of four and a grandmother of 9 grandchildren. She has been a source of great strength for all of us, especially me. I have the condition hydrocephalus and although I live a normal life, on four occasions between 2003- 2006 I had 4 shunt revisions. Mum dropped everything to be with me in London where i was living at the time to care and support me. More recently my 88 year old grandmother broke her hip at Christmas and Mum has given up a lot of her free time to care for her and attend to all her personal and daily needs despite living 30 miles away so that granny can stay in her home. i think carrying the torch would be a a great celebration of her 60 years. |
| Peter Ferris MBE. Age: 56. Hometown: Coleraine | ||
| Location | Named Torchbearer | Nomination Story. (Where available) |
| Ballymagorry. 8.22am | Ursula Hughes. Age: 54Hometown: Dungannon | |
| Seamus Raynolds. Age: 47. Hometown: Coleraine | ||
| Strabane. 8.31am | Kenneth Jones. Age: 78. Hometown: Strabane | |
| Martin McQuaid. Age: 19. Hometown: Irvinestown | ||
Megan Bothwell. Age: 18 Hometown: Armagh | ||
Lilona Neilson. Age: 37 Hometown: Derry | ||
Richard Manning. Age: 52 Hometown: Derry | ||
| Location | Named Torchbearer | Nomination Story. (Where available) |
| Sion Mills. 9.03am | Danea Herron. Age: 52 Hometown: Derry | |
Deirdre Glackin. Age: 50 Hometown: Strabane | ||
Jim Herron. Age: 51 Hometown: Derry |
2. The Olympic Event Programme
Event
| Group | Date | Time | Venue |
Garden for Games Planting the Olympic Rings | Bready Jubilee Primary School | Monday 21May 2012 | All Day | Bready Jubilee Primary School, Bready |
Two Cultures one Space (Traditions Meet) Public Event | Sontas Celtic Group & St Joseph’s Brass Band | Saturday 19 May | 2pm – 4pm | Sollus Centre, Bready, Strabane Tel:028 7184 1735 |
| Get Set Olympic Programme | Active Community Coaches | Throughout May | Strabane Schools | |
| Flying the Flags for the Olympic Torch Run | Strabane District Council (Arts workshops running in 5 local Schools across the District) | 15, 22, 23, 29 May 2012 | Strabane Schools | |
Mini Olympic Games Public Event | Active Community Coaches | 31 May / 1 June | All Day | Melvin Sport Complex, Strabane |
| Welcome the Torch Bearers | Community Groups, Sports Clubs, Churches, Youth Clubs, Art Organisations | Tuesday 5 June | 07.56am 08.06am 08.22am 08.31am 09.03am | Magheramason Bready Ballymagorry Strabane Sion Mills |
Coffee Morning (In aid for Marie Curie Cancer Care) Public Event | The Villages Together | Tuesday 5 June | 8am – 9.30am | Sollus Centre, Bready, Strabane |
Special Olympic Breakfast Public Event | New Horizons | Tuesday 5 June | 9 – 10 am | Alley Arts Centre, Strabane |
Olympic Cycle Challenge Public Event | Strabane / Lifford Cycle Club | Tuesday 5 June | 9.30am | Meeting at the Tinnies/ Let The Dance Begin Sculptures, Strabane |
Scouts Olympics (Olympic sports/ Fun Day & BBQ) Public Event | Churchof Ireland Scouts | Tuesday 5 June | 9.30am | Grounds of the Church Of Ireland, Sion Mills |
Olympic Reel Time Public Event | Scottish & Irish dancers performing | Tuesday 5 June | 9.30am | Sollus Centre, Bready, Strabane |
Olympic Coffee Morning Public Event | Sion Mills Forum | Tuesday 5 June | 9.15am | Sion Mills Recreation Club (Tudor Building) |
3. For further information please contact:
Rachelle Craig
Corporate Policy Officer
Strabane District Council
47 Derry Road
Strabane
Co.Tyrone
N. Ireland
BT82 8DY
Tel: 028 71 381341
rcraig@strabanedc.com
Search Our Archive
