SCHOOL CHILDREN ACROSS THE REGION SHOW SUPPORT FOR THE TOUR OF BRITAIN’S OLYMPIC HEROES

Thanks to a new schools campaign run by energy company E.ON, school children from across the region will be out in force on Wednesday 10 September as Olympic Gold Medallists, Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas compete for their respective teams in The Tour of Britain, the country’s premier road cycle race, in a bid to add to their success in Beijing.

The 8-day race will offer school children the chance to see some of the best road cyclists in the world, including riders from team GB, who will be racing on home soil for the first time since their success in Beijing.

The school children will be lining the route with good luck banners and flags received as part of a special Schools Supporters’ Packs, courtesy of E.ON, the Official Partner of The Tour of Britain.

Stage 4 of the race will start in Worcester, and will see 96 cyclists weave their way past Telford, Wolverhampton and Stone, taking in three E.ON King of the Mountains climbs, including Jiggers Bank near Ironbridge, the home of the Industrial Revolution and the famous Saddle of the Wrekin climb before finishing in Stoke-on-Trent.

Schools from across the country were invited by E.ON to apply for one of the exclusive Supporter’s Packs. In total, over 50 schools nationwide were selected to win a pack, which also includes reflective safety wristbands and a replica polka dot, E.ON King of the Mountains race jersey.

Chris Waghorn, Head Teacher, Christchurch Middle School, one of the winning schools, said: “Thank you to E.ON for this great prize. The Tour of Britain is a fantastic event and E.ON’s competition was a great way to get our children engaged in the race. Our pupils are looking forward to cheering on Great Britain’s Olympians as they come through Stone.”

Simon Breakell, Sponsorship PR Manager at E.ON said: “Following the successes in Beijing, The Tour of Britain has become a celebration of cycling in this country. We’re expecting a great atmosphere as our gold medallists return home. It is a great opportunity for the children to see the very best in the sport and we hope they’re inspired to become the next generation of Olympic champions.”

Schools across the region who won a special E.ON Tour of Britain Schools’ Supporter’s pack are:

• Bewdley Primary School
• St Barholomews Primary School, Stourport
• Cookley Seabright Primary School, Kidderminster
• Wolverley Seabright Primary School, Kidderminster
• Franche Primary School, Kidderminster
• Astley Primary School, Stourport-on-Severn
• Hallow CofE Primary School, Worcester
• Bewdley School and 6th form
• Christ Church Middle School, Stone
• Christ Church First School, Stone
• Burnwood Community School, Stone
• Coalbrookdale & Ironbridge CofE Primary School, Telford
• Bishop Lonsdale Primary School, Eccleshall
• Pirehill First School, Stone
• Manor Hill First School, Stone

The Tour of Britain is the UK’s only major professional road cycle race and has firmly established itself on a global platform along with other major races such as The Tour de France and Giro d’Italia. The race, running from London to Liverpool, visiting a total of 15 host cities around the country, will see sixteen teams from across the world competing over eight stages

Cycling is a hugely popular sport and British cyclists are among the best in the world, winning five gold medals in the 2004 Olympics and Paralympics, eleven gold medals at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and eight medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

E.ON is one of the UK’s leading power and gas companies – generating and distributing electricity, and retailing power and gas – and is part of the E.ON group, the world's largest investor-owned power and gas company.  Our retail business supplies around 8 million electricity and gas customer accounts, covering domestic, SME and industrial.  E.ON also offers central heating and boiler care through its Home Energy Services business.