The Olympic flame will blaze a trail through Cheshire East as the country gears up for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Four Cheshire East towns will form part of the Olympic torch relay route.
On May 31st, 2012, people from Crewe, Congleton, Macclesfield, Knutsford and the surrounding areas can join in the excitement of the arrival of the torch and celebrate the achievements of the torchbearers.
They are four of more than 1,000 villages, towns and cities announced by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) through which the Olympic Flame will be carried in the relay, which is presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung.
The University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory has also been selected to take part in the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. Local schoolchildren will be be on hand to see the torch pass through the Cheshire countryside and arrive at the Observatory, which is one of the most significant scientific and cultural sites in the UK.
Sir Bernard Lovell, the founding father of Jodrell Bank, said: "I am delighted to hear that the Olympic Torch will be visiting Jodrell Bank as part of the relay route.
"It's a great honour for us and we feel very privileged to have been selected to take part in such a great national and international event."
Street by street detail of the torch relay route will be confirmed next year along with other special events and activities aimed at building further excitement and anticipation much closer to the time of the Torch Relay.
Councillor Rod Menlove, Cabinet member with responsibility for environmental services at Cheshire East Council, said: "I am sure this will mean an awful lot to the people of Cheshire East and the surrounding area to see the Olympic Flame and to witness the spectacle of the Olympic torch relay.
"I would urge everybody to join in the Olympic spirit and mark the countdown to the start of the Games. This will shine a light on Cheshire East as its people come to welcome the flame and support the inspirational torchbearers who have volunteered."
Sebastian Coe, chairman of LOCOG, said: "We are thrilled to confirm that Crewe, Congleton, Macclesfield and Knutsford will act as host locations for the Olympic Flame, extending an invitation to people in the area to welcome the Olympic torch relay during its journey around the UK.
"This is the UK's moment to shine and I want to encourage people across Cheshire East to start planning how they can be part of this once in a lifetime opportunity and show their support for the inspirational torchbearers chosen to carry the Olympic Flame as we count down to the start of the Olympic Games."
The 70-day relay will start at Land's End, Cornwall on the morning of May 19th, 2012 and travel an estimated 8,000 miles around the country giving thousands of communities and individuals their moment to shine.
In announcing the villages, towns and cities LOCOG has realised the aspiration of taking the Olympic Flame to within an hour's journey time of 95% of the population. In fact, more than 95% of the population will be within just 10 miles of the Olympic Flame next summer.
An interactive map of the entire route can be viewed at www.london2012.com/olympictorchrelaymap.
