- Today the Relay will travel 77.24 miles
- 130 Torchbearers will carry the Flame
- Evening celebration to take place at Meridian Park, Cleethorpes
The Relay will travel through the following communities: Sheffield, Rotherham, Dalton, Thrybergh, Conisbrough, Warmsworth, Doncaster, Armthorpe, Dunsville, Hatfield, Scunthorpe, Brigg, Wrawby, Immingham, Grimsby and Cleethorpes.
Highlights for today include:
7:30am – The first Torchbearer of the day will be Lucy Brunt, 13 from Sheffield, who will start with the flame from Don Valley Stadium. Lucy was nominated for her courage and determination in dealing with her Down’s syndrome and the fantastic work she does with the disability sport project called Within Reach.
8:12am – The Flame will be carried into Magna Science and Adventure Centre by poet and storyteller Debjani Chatterjee, who was nominated through the Lloyds TSB campaign for her extensive work with schools, community centres, libraries and in particular Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
6:35pm – As the Flame makes its way closer towards the evening celebration, it will take a trip on the Cleethorpes Light Railway, carried by Mick Clorley, 56 from Grimsby. Mick was nominated to be a Torchbearer because of his outstanding contribution to local sport and his 'never give in' attitude, which has seen him battle bowel cancer and also set up a charity that supports others affected by this illness.
6:50pm – The last Torchbearer of the day will be Jack Andrew, aged 92, from Wakefield. A World War II veteran, Jack was nominated through the Lloyds TSB campaign for his inspirational passion for sport, which has seen him coach local football and cricket teams and continue to play golf for despite having both knees replaced. Jack will light the cauldron at the evening celebration in Cleethorpes.
The evening celebration will take place at Meridian Park in Cleethorpes and will feature a variety of entertainment staged by LOCOG and the three Presenting Partners of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay - Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung - with support from North East Lincolnshire Council. The show will start at 5pm.
North East Lincolnshire Council will present two 10-minute slots of locally-programmed entertainment during the evening celebration. This will include a community street dance performance to open the event and a showcase of music from the East Coast Elite Brass and Percussion Corps and the Gyko Community Taiko Group who will play after the Olympic Flame has arrived on stage. The East Coast Elite Brass & Percussion Corps will also welcome the Olympic Flame at the Showground with a specially commissioned fanfare.
Lloyds TSB Flame Followers Spectacular will feature their troupe of performers who will travel along the route of the 70 day Olympic Torch Relay. Their performance is a unique fusion of street performance, theatre and sport - celebrating the endeavour, athleticism, agility and skill of our national Olympic sporting heroes, Team GB.
Coca-Cola will bring the hit band Tribes to the evening celebration, whilst ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ finalists Twist & Pulse have been chosen by Samsung to invite the nation to take part in the Olympic Games experience at each of the 66 Evening Celebration events across the country.
Torchbearer highlights:
Ben Parkinson, 28, from Doncaster, will carry the Flame in Doncaster. Ben, who was nominated through the LOCOG campaign, joined the army at 16 and the Paras at 17. Para selection was tough because of his size, always being injured, but he persevered, trying 7 times before passing! He was in the 1st allied vehicle in to Iraq in 2003 aged 18. Ben served in Kosovo and on a Green Goddess fire engine before deployment to Afghanistan. Injured in Sept '06 by an anti tank mine, he wasn’t expected to survive. Ben fought back every step of the way and is still the same funny and caring Ben. He's in the gym and rehab 12 hrs a day and now walks with crutches. The rest of his time spent raising money for many military charities and as patron of his beloved Pilgrim Bandits. Ben doesn’t think himself badly injured or unlucky. When asked he says 'it could be worse it could have been one of my mates.' He is still very much part of 7 Para and he's still very much a soldier.
Simon Wheatcroft, 29, from Doncaster will carry the Flame in Armthorpe. Selected through the Coca-Cola Future Flames programme, despite being blind, Simon is an ultra marathon runner, running distances between 50 and 100 kilometres at a time. Simon learned to run outside and used this as a platform to build his confidence to such an extent that he now competes in ultra running distance running. Simon inspires people from all walks of life and abilities to lead active and healthy lifestyles and he's currently working towards completing all the major ultra distance marathon events across the UK. Along the way, he wants to inspire and engage other visually impaired people to take up running.
James Needham, 28, from Doncaster, nominated through the Lloyds TSB public nomination campaign will carry the Flame in Doncaster. James was in a car accident which resulted in being confined to a wheelchair. Since then he has played wheelchair rugby for England winning a gold medal; studied accountancy and participated in biking, canoeing, skiing, mountaineering with the aid of the Backup Trust with whom he visits spinal units around the country teaching wheelchair skills and helping newly injured people.
Chloe Birch, 16, from Sheffield will carry the Flame in Rotherham. Chloe who was nominated through the LOCOG campaign is a talented and outstanding young sportswoman Chloe has been playing badminton since she was eight and has been representing England since she was eleven. One of her greatest achievements was to be accepted to play in the Senior English Nationals. She always gives 100% to everything she does and is truly inspirational Chloe's aim is to represent England at the 2016/2020 Olympic Games.
Paul Drinkhall will carry the Flame in Cleethorpes. Paul has been playing Table Tennis from the age of seven. He made his first international appearance at nine and became European Junior (Under 18) Champion in 2008. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi Paul won a Silver medal in the Men's Team event and a Bronze medal in the Mixed Doubles events.
James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola Northwest Europe & Nordics, said: ‘Today, many more Coca-Cola Future Flames will help us celebrate the 39th day of our amazing journey, including Simon Wheatcroft who will carry the Olympic Flame in Armthorpe. We will also get everyone to Move to the Beat tonight as we bring Tribes to the stage in Cleethorpes.’
Sally Hancock, Director, London 2012 Partnership at Lloyds Banking Group, said: ‘We are delighted to have seen the amazing reception the Olympic Torch Relay has had on its journey so far. Lloyds TSB is proud to be bringing as many opportunities as possible for people between Sheffield and Cleethorpes to get involved as the Olympic Flame passes their door. We’re calling on everyone to cheer their local Lloyds TSB Torchbearers – extraordinary people like James Needham, running in his home community of Doncaster. Our troupe of performers, the Flame Followers, are lighting up the celebrations along the route ahead of the Relay before their Flame Followers Spectacular in Cleethorpes tonight.’
Sunny Hwang, Vice President & Head of Global Sports Marketing, Samsung Electronics, said: ‘Samsung's Olympic Torch Relay campaign shares the Olympic spirit and encourages everyone to take part in London 2012. Samsung has offered an inspiring opportunity to people around the world to carry the Olympic Flame, as part of our ambition to make London 2012 Everyone's Olympic Games.’
-Ends-
For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or visit the website at www.london2012.com. Find out the latest from London 2012 HQ on our blog http://blog.london2012.com or follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/london2012
Notes to editors:
Each day two short packages of broadcast footage will be made available. The packages will be available via the Footage library – accessible from the Media Centre on london2012.com and direct from this link http://footagelibrary.london2012.com. Media will need to register for access in advance. Registration is free.
The broadcast of the Olympic Torch Relay is provided for Editorial Use Only. There can be no commercial association, no third party association and no commercial/ad superimposition on the video footage, unless the prior written consent of the IOC is acquired.
About the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Presenting Partners:
As the longest standing Presenting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola will be using its heritage and experience to spread excitement across the UK ahead of London 2012. Coca-Cola's national nomination campaign - Future Flames – has focused on finding inspirational young people from across the country to have the once in a lifetime opportunity to carry the Olympic Flame. This summer Coca-Cola will celebrate these Future Flames: young people who use their passions in areas like sport and physical activity, music and dance, and community and the environment; to spread happiness in their local communities. Find out more at: www.coca-cola.co.uk/olympic-games
As the only National Presenting Partner of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, Lloyds TSB will be taking the inspiration and excitement of the Olympic Flame right to the heart of communities across the UK. As part of Lloyds Banking Group, Bank of Scotland will be the National Presenting Partner in Scotland. We are creating as many opportunities as possible for communities the length and breadth of the UK to get involved as the Flame travels past their front doors.
Lloyds Banking Group is Britain’s biggest corporate investor in UK communities and in 2011 invested £85 million and as part of the Group’s Community Investment Programme, we’ve launched the Lloyds Banking Group Community Fund to give back to the communities in which we operate and pass through on our journey with the Olympic Flame. We’re inviting everyone to visit the Lloyds TSB stand at each Evening Celebration to vote for a community project in their area that inspires and supports young people. By voting at the Evening Celebration members of the public will automatically enter a draw to win four tickets to London 2012. The two projects that receive the most votes at each locality will each win a £5,000 grant from Lloyds Banking Group. At the Lloyds TSB site members of the public will also have the opportunity to have their photo taken with the Olympic Torch, meet Lloyds TSB Local Heroes – the future stars of Team GB and ParalympicsGB – and get up close to our Flame Followers. To find out how you can join in the celebrations with Lloyds TSB (in your community please visit www.lloydstsb.com/london2012
As a Presenting Partner of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, Samsung aims to encourage everyone to be part of the greatest show on Earth to make London 2012 ‘Everyone’s Olympic Games.’ We aspire to offer new and memorable experiences for everyone around the world through our own innovative and smart wireless technology. Samsung is providing 1,360 Torchbearers, who have “gone the extra mile” by contributing to the local communities, through its worldwide public nomination campaign. In total over 25,000 nominations were received. Samsung will support towns and cities to celebrate the exciting moment of the Torch Relay and help showcase Great Britain’s cultural landmarks to provide a more enjoyable experience to everyone. The evening celebrations that will be staged by Samsung in 66 towns and cities throughout the Olympic Flame’s journey across the UK, will allow Samsung to entertain the community they are visiting. The Samsung caravan, complete with LED screen on the side showcasing runners and goodwill messages, will follow the Torchbearers around the UK cheering up everyone to celebrate the Torch Relay with music and interaction with local communities. It is Samsung’s ambition that London 2012 will be an event that reaches and involves more people than on any other Olympic Games occasion. To learn more about Samsung’s London 2012 Olympic programme, please visit www.samsung.com/london2012
The Supporters of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay are:
Worldwide Olympic Partners Procter and Gamble and Visa, Tier One Partners adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT and EDF, Tier Three Providers Aggreko, Holiday Inn and NATURE VALLEY.
The BBC will be providing extensive coverage of the Torch Relay on television, radio and online. This will include special Breakfast shows on every BBC local radio station, and extended live coverage of an evening celebration event in every Nation and English Region. Full details of the coverage will be at bbc.co.uk/2012.
London 2012 Games partners:
The Worldwide Olympic Partners who support the London 2012 Olympic Games and the National Olympic Committees around the world are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos, Dow Chemical Company, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa.
LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS.
There are now twenty-eight domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Aggreko, Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, G4S, GSK, Gymnova, Heathrow Airport, Heineken UK, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, NATURE VALLEY, Next, Nielsen, Populous, Rapiscan Systems, Rio Tinto, Technogym, Thames Water, Ticketmaster, Trebor and Westfield
