Tower Hamlets children to take part in Olympics

Students from four Tower Hamlets schools will have the chance to take part in the biggest event in the world this year: the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Children from Langdon Park School, Marner Primary School, Manorfield Primary School and Marian Richardson Primary School were among those who took part in an audition process aimed at children aged between seven and nine and 11-13 years. In total, 1,650 children auditioned for the London 2012 Ceremonies Mass Movement Team, performing large-scale choreography and dance routines.

More than 900 children will be selected over the coming weeks to perform in the ceremony on July 27. They will be performing in front of an estimated one billion people worldwide expected to watch the ceremonies and a further 80,000 in the stadium.

The students will form the under-16s volunteer performer cast for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic opening and closing ceremonies. They have been selected from schools in the six host boroughs that are engaged in the official London 2012 education programme, Get Set.

Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman said: “Taking part in the Olympic opening ceremony is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and its fantastic that young people from Tower Hamlets will have a starring role in the ceremony.”

Mary Todd, Headteacher from Marner Primary School in Bow, said: “When we first signed up to the Get Set network, we had no idea that we might have the chance to be involved in the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

“It is such a huge opportunity for our children and staff and will bring the Olympics alive for the whole of the school community. We are a school that celebrates sport and sporting achievement and so the Olympics are hugely important to us. To have them taking place just down the road and having such direct involvement is a rare and wonderful opportunity!”