Police and Special Olympics athletes will carry the Flame of Hope through central Nelson on Saturday morning as part of the nationwide Law Enforcement Torch Run ahead of the National Summer Special Olympics Games.

Athletes, supporters and Police will assemble outside the Nelson Police station at 9am, with the run starting at 9.15am. The route heads down Bridge Street before turning up Trafalgar Street and finishing at the church steps.

Competitors and supporters from Marlborough, Motueka, Nelson and the West Coast are taking part, with Police joining as “Guardians of the Flame.”

“Seeing the Flame of Hope means that the games are just around the corner,” said Special Olympics Chief Executive Fran Scholey.

Police say the torch run began in Northland on 4 October and is making its way south toward Southland in the lead-up to the Games.