Join some of the 11 sound and visual floats in a parade through Hackney and the welcome ceremony for the Olympic Torch in Clissold Park.

Local residents are invited to become involved on and with four key soundscape floats and to help find lenders and potential tenders of the tough potted plants needed to decorate the Regeneration visual float.

Five visual floats, spelling the acronym HCKNY, will alternate with six soundscape floats* until they all arrive in the park, when the six sound floats will combine in threes to form the 'A' and 'E', so that the backdrop to the Torch moment spells “HACKNEY” – amidst a variety of other park dressing and staging.

The day is about Hackney coming together to showcase and celebrate its unique diversity and talent in the lead up to the 2012 Olympic Games. There are still opportunities for people to get involved and be part of the procession, which will take up the whole day on 21st July. There will also be at least one afternoon’s preparation etc before the big day. There are key opportunities for involvement in two different ways: with four key sound floats or one of the visual ones.

1. Linked to these “soundscape” floats:

- Silk route - Mediterranean Music

- Hip Hop/Street – for young people

- Electro

- African Rhythm

Young people and adults who would enjoy dancing and being part of the festival parade are needed for this, which will include learning the 'ackney' dance and performing it during the Olympic Torch stopover moment. Some styling around each theme is involved, including use of a customised Hackney print fabric.

Costumes and accessories are available, plus support via workshops to make or accessorise their own costumes and learn the dance moves (with a choreographer), so the whole thing is accessible and fun.

If people would like to participate, please let the parade organisers know the soundscape(s) of interest and the numbers who want to be involved, as the event is drawing near and they would like all participants to have the full experience.

2. Involvement on the horticulturally-themed “C” float (the 2nd of the 5 visual floats).

This offers several local people the chance to be involved with a horticulturally-themed float, which the organisers want to decorate with as much durable borrowed greenery as possible.

A workshop is constructing and painting the letter 'C', made from reclaimed pallets attached to scaffolding. The concept represents regeneration in Hackney, with the people on the float handing out seed packets (provided by the organisers) to onlookers as the parade goes along and nurturing the plants on the float en route.

Horticultural tools and equipment will be incorporated in the decoration of the float, which will be assembled on its truck on Tuesday 17th July.

The organisers need to source suitably tough large potted foliage plants etc to dress this float as an Eden of greenery and find 4-6 community members to people it in appropriately horticultural clothes. The plants would be collected and installed on the Friday, then returned to their lenders as soon as feasible after the parade. It would be good to have experienced gardener(s) available to assist with dressing and care of the plants between about 2-5pm on the Friday afternoon and during the parade.

Anyone (individual or organisation) who can help by lending plants and/or helping on the Friday afternoon and/or during the parade is asked to contact the organisers as soon as possible.

*See the parade design overview image. (Safety railings will be incorporated on the floats but are not yet shown.)