Arts Council England provide £138k for 2016 Heritage Flame Lighting Ceremony at Stoke Mandeville Stadium

To celebrate the launch of the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil a Heritage Flame will once again be lit at Stoke Mandeville Stadium near Aylesbury.

Arts Council England will be providing £138,000 in funding for this year’s Heritage Flame Lighting Ceremony this follows their support for previous events to commemorate the start of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London and the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

Stoke Mandeville is famous internationally as the place where, in 1948, Dr Ludwig Guttman inaugurated the first sporting competitions for disabled people. In recognition of its status as the birthplace of the Paralympic Movement the Stoke Mandeville Stadium is now the host of the Heritage Flame Lighting Ceremony.

Once again, the Artistic Director for this years event will be Bradley Hemmings MBE who was Co-Creative Director of the Opening Ceremony of the London Paralympic Games in 2012 and who was the producer of the 2014 Heritage Flame Lighting Ceremony at Stoke Mandeville.

Councillor Angela Macpherson, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Communities and Civic Amenities at Aylesbury Vale District Council, said: ‘It’s fantastic that Stoke Mandeville Stadium will once again be hosting the Heritage Flame Lighting Ceremony, giving residents of Aylesbury Vale another opportunity to feel pride in seeing our area showcased on the world stage.

It’ll be marvellous to see the birthplace of the Paralympic movement play such a significant role in the launch of the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Sincere thanks to Arts Council England for their generous contribution towards the funding of what will no doubt be a spectacular event.‘

Hedley Swain, Area Director, South East for Arts Council England, added: ‘Stoke Mandeville is recognised as the birthplace of the Paralympic Movement and so we are delighted to continue our support for The Paralympic Heritage Flame Ceremony.

It is a project that highlights the important role arts and culture have in celebrating our heritage. But more than that, it celebrates the achievements of our Paralympic athletes. It resonates strongly with our own work to support diverse artists and create opportunities for them to flourish on a local, regional, national and international stage.‘

Further information on the 2016 Heritage Flame Lighting Ceremony can be found on the Bucks Legacy website.