A SPECIAL ceremony is being organised to pay tribute to a former Olympic hero.

Bolton Council is to re-dedicate a plaque at Farnworth Leisure Centre which marks the achievements of Kearsley weightlifter Jim Halliday, now aged 86.

Council bosses first unveiled the plaque at the centre seven years ago.

Now, with a refurbishment of the centre complete, town hall officials are keen to restore it to its rightful place.

Former strong man Mr Halliday scooped a bronze medal for weightlifting at the 1948 Olympics in London.

He also flexed his muscles at the Commonwealth Games in 1950 and 1954, winning gold medals at each.

Mr Halliday was active in the community and previously worked as a youth worker in the Farnworth and Kearsley area.

The veteran sportsman, of Tong Street, said: "I'd be pleased to take part in any ceremony. It wasn't easy to get to the top.

"I was in the army, and then a prisoner of war under the Japanese."

Mr Halliday said: "I used to enjoy running youth clubs and weightlifting clubs in Farnworth.

"It was enjoyable as sport and keeping fit was a big part of my life," he added.

The plaque was first unveiled in 1997 following a revamp at Farnworth Leisure Centre.

The new ceremony follows recent modernisation work at Farnworth Leisure Centre that has revamped the gym and fitness area where the plaque will be placed.

The revamp of the leisure centre is part of an £18 million borough-wide project involving the council and private firm Serco to modernise Bolton's leisure facilities.