Theresa May calls for “a heroes’ welcome” as London plans to celebrate GB’s Olympic and Paralympic stars in Trafalgar Square

1/8

Theresa May called on Londoners to give “a heroes’ welcome” to Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic stars as she unveiled plans for a national celebration in Trafalgar Square next month.

The Queen also sent her “warmest congratulations” to Team GB’s Paralympic athletes as they returned home from Rio.

A party in the heart of the capital will see Rio medallists and competitors take their bows in front of a crowd of thousands. The Prime Minister told the Evening Standard: “Our athletes have put on spectacular performances in Rio and the whole nation is extremely proud of them.

Photo: Steve Parsons/PA 
Steve Parsons/PA

“I am sure Londoners will give our Olympians and Paralympians the heroes’ welcome they deserve when they celebrate in Trafalgar Square.”

In a message signed “Elizabeth R” the Queen also praised competitors from other Commonwealth countries. She said: “I offer my warmest congratulations to the athletes of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and indeed to the athletes of all Commonwealth countries, for their many successes in Rio de Janeiro.”

Dame Sarah Storey, who won three cycling golds at Rio, boarded a special British Airways flight in Rio with other Team GB Paralympic heroes — who were greeted by their proud families and friends at Heathrow today.

In Pictures: Great Britain's medal run at Rio 2016 Paralympics

1/145

Dame Sarah received the loudest cheers from an adoring crowd. She said: “To defend three titles is amazing it has not sunk in yet. I will probably be eating my Christmas dinner and then I will realise what had happened. It’s been an amazing journey.” Also among the athletes were Lauren Rowles, who won gold with Laurence Whiteley in the trunk-and-arms mixed double sculls, and gold-medallist rower Rachel Morris.

The latter said she hoped to inspire other athletes: “I have had a lot of support and I would like to help others.” The official Olympic homecoming events will begin with a parade through Manchester on October 17, followed by a celebration in Trafalgar Square on October 18 and a government reception for the athletes.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in