Diane Modahl leads Trafford Centre's Olympic legacy celebrations (From Messenger Newspapers)

Diane Modahl leads Trafford Centre's Olympic legacy celebrations

4:20pm Thursday 2nd August 2012 in News

OLYMPIC celebrations came to the Trafford Centre for North West for 2012 Day, a special date in the held to mark the arrival of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

With hundreds of events and activities taking place across the north west from now until September, North West for 2012 Day was held to encourage people to get involved in what’s happening here in the region through the WE PLAY Challenge.

The WE PLAY Challenge has been funded by Legacy Trust UK, creating a lasting impact from the London 2012 Games by funding ideas and local talent to inspire creativity across the UK.

Former four-time Manchester Olympian Diane Modahl and 17 North West Olympic Torchbearers held a mini torch relay through the shopping malls.

Shoppers took their place in history by donating their handprints for a London 2012 inspired work of digital art, with more than 500 handprints collected throughout the day – there was even a torch-inspired treasure hunt for youngsters at department store John Lewis.

To add to the fun, entertainment was provided on The Orient stage throughout the event by the Blaze Boom Bike Band, part of WE PLAY’s Blaze project, an ambitious and youth-led cultural programme.

Shoppers had the opportunity to interact with Handprint2012, a living artwork that captures people’s connections with London 2012.

The project got a special preview on the Trafford Centre big screens before being unveiled at the WE PLAY EXPO, the North West closing celebrations for London 2012, taking place in Preston from September 7 to 9.

Diane Modahl said: “It was a fantastic day. We had so much fun! So many people came along to help us create a positive and energetic Olympic spirit. The torchbearers were truly inspirational, with amazing stories of how they were chosen, and it was great to see so many people supporting us on our mini torch relay!”

Creative Programmer for the Cultural Olympiad in the north west, Debbi Lander said “We’ve created a list of must-see events happening across the region this summer as part of the London 2012 celebrations.

The programme will culminate with the WE PLAY EXPO, a spectacular three-day festival in Preston, as part of the Guild City Festival, to mark the end of the Games - we hope everyone can attend and experience some of the world class performances on offer as part of the North West closing celebrations for the Games.”

To learn more about London 2012 in the North West and share your own Olympic experiences sign up to the WE PLAY Challenge at www.nwfor2012.com/weplaychallenge