Residents invited to opening of new Marple – Bredbury cycle way

Alan Newton will be at the opening of the Alan Newton cycle way
Alan Newton won Olympic bronze in 1952

Stockport residents are invited to a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the Alan Newton Way, which is a new cycle route starting near Marple Hall High school and going all the way to Bredbury.

The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday 2nd July at the end of Hilltop Drive in Marple.

Alan Newton, together with the Mayor of Stockport, Councillor Chris Gordon, will be in attendance, as well as Councillors from the 11 wards which contributed to this project.

Alan is the first person born and bred in Stockport to ever win an Olympic medal.

When Alan was 15, he joined the Stockport Road Club and started cycling for them, becoming club track champion in 1949 and again in 1950.

In 1952, Alan represented Great Britain in the Summer Olympics in Helsinki, where, alongside his team mates Donald Burgess, George Newberry and Ronald Stretton, he won the Bronze medal in the men’s 4,000m team pursuit.

In the same year, Alan competed in the World Championship in Paris in the individual pursuit, coming 4th in the competition.

Councillor Sheila Bailey, Stockport Council’s Executive Member for Communities and Housing, said: “We are very proud to recognise Alan’s achievements and contribution to cycling in Stockport through the Alan Newton Way. The Council is committed to providing safe cycle routes that can be used by everyone and which provide an environmentally friendly alternative to car usage.”

For more information on cycling in Stockport, visit www.stockport.gov.uk/cycling.