The Sun says: A new flame

THE torch relay is approaching and the Olympic Park is set to burst back into life.

Two weeks ago the venue in East London was left eerily empty as athletes packed their bags for home.

There were tears of joy as Team GB celebrated its unprecedented medal haul. And there was some sadness too that it was all over.

But it wasn’t.

On Wednesday, 300 disabled British athletes — including several wounded servicemen and women — will arrive at the Paralympics opening ceremony to thundering applause from a sold-out crowd.

They have suffered more in their lives than many of us could ever imagine. But they have shunned negative thoughts to focus on just one thing — triumph.

In Beijing four years ago our team won 102 medals, including 42 golds, to claim second place in the table.

Sports chiefs have promised us “bags of medals” this time around. But our brave athletes will give us far more than that.

They will give us inspiration and hope that life can always be lived to the full.

Whitehaul

THE Coalition made a grand promise to clamp down on Whitehall bonuses.

But more than two years after it came into power, the staggering sums awarded to pen-pushers on top of their salaries show no signs of abating. More than 100 mandarins and quango bosses enjoyed payouts of at least £10,000 last year.

Ten raked in over £30,000 — more than the average UK worker’s salary alone. This is a shocking waste of taxpayers’ cash at a time when Brits are struggling to make ends meet.

If ministers are serious about making cuts they should put an end to this shameful culture once and for all.

Top guns

THE Millies is no ordinary awards ceremony.

It is full of brave men and women who feel more at home on the battlefield than on the red carpet.

Take Sergeant Ryan McCready who picked up the Most Outstanding Soldier award last year. Through courage and dedication, he won the trust of an Afghan village and helped it keep out the Taliban.

Para Scott Meenagh, who won the Overcoming Adversity award, had lost both his legs in an IED blast — but that didn’t stop him taking up ice hockey, archery and sailing.

General Sir David Richards, the most senior officer in Britain’s Armed Forces, today urges Sun readers to nominate their heroes.

These men and women deserve national recognition. Back your loved ones at thesun.co.uk/millies.