Torch Run For Special Olympics Heats Up In Christchurch
Police and Special Olympics New Zealand athletes are
poised for a walk
through central Christchurch on Sunday
9 October to support the nationwide
Law Enforcement Torch
Run (LETR).
The Freemasons New Zealand Special Olympics National Summer Games are being held from 8 to 12 December in Hamilton.
A contingent of New Zealand
Police will walk alongside Special Olympics
athletes from
Canterbury and carry the “Flame of Hope” from the
Riverside
Market near the Justice and Emergency Services
Precinct (Te Omeka) this
Sunday at 11am.
Before
they head off, the walkers will be met by Police and other
emergency
services staff to walk from Riverside Market
around central Christchurch
finishing at Margaret Mahy
Park.
The flame symbolises courage, celebrates
diversity, and unites communities
around the globe with
over 97,000 law enforcement members carrying the
“Flame
of Hope” at events annually.
Inspector Mark
Harrison, chair of the LETR New Zealand Charitable Trust
and
New Zealand LETR director, says “ LETR epitomises
what policing is about
– being an active part of the
community and supporting positive community
initiatives.
It would be great to have the community attend and cheer
us
on.”
Inspector Leairne Dow, Relieving District
Prevention Manager, is proud to be
involved in the
Christchurch leg and says, “We are thrilled to
be
supporting such a great event and we’re wishing our
Canterbury athletes the
best of luck for the
competition.”
Special Olympics chief executive
Carolyn Young is excited to see the
nationwide Law
Enforcement Torch Run making its way north
through
Christchurch to mark the final countdown to the
National Summer Games.
“Our clubs have been building
up to our pinnacle event for five years, and
the LETR is
a wonderful way to raise awareness around the country and
to
get everyone excited about the National Summer
Games,” says Young.
“We are very grateful to the
New Zealand Police for being such a fantastic
partner in
this event for so many years and we hope the people of
Canterbury
and the rest of the country will come out in
numbers to show their support
for our athletes.
The
torch will be travelling through most major centres in New
Zealand in the
next two months.
To find out more
about the Special Olympics National Summer Games
visit
www.SpecialOlympics.org.nz