Orkney youngsters in Commonwealth Games ceremony

Two local youngsters are due to play a part in the opening ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games today.

Aidan Morrison from Sandwick and James Nicolson from Kirkwall were selected to become cast members after they recorded video auditions.

They have been in Glasgow taking part in rehearsals and workshops in the run up to the ceremony itself, which takes place at Celtic Park later today.

Although they’ve both been sworn to secrecy about the ceremony itself,  it will incorporate the Glasgow 2014 Support a Second Team campaign, which has seen every local authority area in Scotland allocated at least two ‘second teams’ to support during the Commonwealth Games.  Orkney’s ‘second teams’ are the Cayman Islands and Tanzania.

The opening ceremony will include the moment Her Majesty the Queen reads the message contained in the Baton which has travelled across the Commonwealth and with it, declaring the Games officially open.

The ceremonies will be seen by a potential global TV audience of more than 1 billion.