9:00am Thursday 14th August 2008
By Harry Hogger
WEYMOUTH and Portland will be the focus of national attention when the Olympics are handed over to Britain live on TV.
The resort will be bustling with a packed day of events for the handover of the Olympic flag on Sunday, August 24.
And it will be one of only three sites in the country providing live feeds for BBC's coverage of the historic occasion. Following coverage of the closing ceremony in Beijing, the celebrations in London, Glasgow and Weymouth will be shown as Britain takes up the Olympic mantle. The festivities in Weymouth will include a beach party and giant screen on Weymouth beach, a special handover flag relay, and two minutes of noise at the exact moment the Olympic flag is handed over to Mayor of London Boris Johnson in Beijing at 4pm.
Howard Legg, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council spokesman for partnerships and special projects, said: "The council has been working behind the scenes with London 2012 and local media to make arrangements for the 24th.
"This is a momentous occasion for the whole of the UK, especially Weymouth and Portland which will be the first completed venue for the games."
2012 creative programmer for the South West Richard Crowe added: "This is the start of four years of celebrations and events as we build up to the games in 2012."
Volunteers inspired by the Olympics will be able to take part in a series of special flag relays as the handover flag is passed on in Beijing.
Handover flags will be taken from the party at Weymouth beach to flagpoles across the borough.
Four relays over land and sea will carry the flags to the Nothe Fort, New Ground near the Portland Cenotaph, the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy and Furzy Cliffs at Bowleaze, with the flags carried on foot, motor boat, dragon boat and gig.
Dorset 2012 Olympic Legacy manager Gary Fooks said: "What we want is sports clubs, community groups and anyone who wants to get involved - the more the merrier."
Olympic chiefs are also planning two minutes of noise to sound out across the borough at the moment when the flag is handed over.
Cannons fired from Portland Castle and the Nothe will signal the start of a two-minute eruption of noise at Weymouth Beach and the flagpole sites.
People will be urged to cheer, bang drums and generally make as much noise as possible at the beach and the beacon sites to celebrate the historic moment.
Meanwhile, in Dorchester Town Crier Alistair Chisholm will be welcoming the handover in a traditional British fashion with a specially composed cry in the town centre.
Anyone interested in becoming involved is asked to contact Caren Holmes at Dorset County Council on 01305 224216 or email her at c.holmes@dorsetcc.gov.uk
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