The winner of the BBC’s ‘The Voice’ singing talent show Andrea Begley is to perform at a special event to mark the lighting of a Paralympic flame in Aylesbury.
Aerial circus performers and disabled actor Ben Owen Jones will join Ms Begley on stage at the Waterside Theatre on March 2.
The day before there will be a flame lighting ceremony at Stoke Mandeville Stadium as part of the torch relay ahead of the Sochi Paralympic Winter Games.
This will be a pilot for how future relays will work before every summer and winter Paralympics.
The Arts Council has awarded a £155,000 grant to Aylesbury Vale District Council to fund the stadium and theatre events.
Councillor Howard Mordue, cabinet member for leisure at AVDC, said: “The Paralympic heritage flame celebrations help recognise the magnificent achievements of Dr Ludwig Guttmann and the pioneers of the Paralympic movement at Stoke Mandeville.
“The funding of this award will enable us to deliver a fitting celebration to mark this historic occasion every two years and continue to inform a global audience of the continuing importance of Stoke Mandeville and Aylesbury to the Paralympic movement.”
The theatre event will tell the story of the birth of the modern Paralympic Games at Stoke Mandeville and feature Paralympic athletes, film, visual arts, live music and performance.
There will be a public ballot for free tickets to the theatre event from late January.
Go to www.buckslegacy.org for the latest information on the event and the ticket ballot.