OFFICIALS are expecting more than 3,000 people to attend the Suffolk Paralympic flame celebration event on Friday.

The free event, which is to be held in Needham Market, has been boosted by grants of more than �27,000 so a carnival-style event can be put on.

People hit by the Olympic sporting fever will have a treat from 2-7pm, as opportunities to try sports, including archery, athletics, basketball, judo and sitting volleyball will be available.

Creative workshops such as flag making, film making and illustration will be running at the same time at the event’s venue in Needham Lake.

A 45-minute sport-themed concert with music from Chariots of Fire will be performed by the City of London Sinfonia at 3.30pm and 6pm.

As the evening draws closer, entertainer Kwabana Lindsay will attempt to cross a river while playing an Irish jig on a fiddle.

From 7.30pm, the Magical Twilight Lantern Procession will begin, leading through the Needham Market High Street before returning to the lake.

A spectacular fire show including sculptures, water effects and theatrical lighting will bring the day to a close on the lake at 9pm.

The Paralympic flame will be collected from Trafalgar Square in London by Needham Market artist Amy Nettleton. She will bring the flame back to her home town for the celebrations on the Friday.

The event at Needham Lake will run from 2-9.30pm and is free of charge, with people able to turn up on the day.

On the weekend of August 25 and 26, the flame will visit six disability sports groups’ events across the county, including the Suffolk Spartans Powerlifting Club and the East Anglian Sailing Trust.