• On Day 17 the Relay will travel 45.15 miles
• 60 inspirational Torchbearers will carry the Flame
• Evening celebration to take place in St Columb’s Park
• Images from the day will be available to download from here throughout the day
60 Torchbearers will carry the Flame before it arrives at the Evening Celebration in Derry~Londonderry where a cauldron will be lit to mark the culmination of the day’s festivities. After the celebrations have finished, the Flame will be transferred to a lantern and it will stay in Derry~Londonderry overnight.
The Flame will be carried through the following communities:
Coleraine, Articlave, Castlerock, Downhill, Bellarena, Limavady, Ballykelly, Greysteel and Derry~Londonderry.
During the day the Flame will visit a number of iconic landmarks and travel by alternative modes of transport. Highlights include:
The Flame will be carried across the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge, taken to the Giant’s Causeway and will visit Dunluce Castle.
An eight man rowing boat will help take the Flame along the River Bann. The Flame will be carried by Torchbearer, Seamus Reynolds, 47, from Coleraine. Seamus was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign for his time and commitment to rowing in the local area. As head coach of Bann rowing club, Seamus Reynolds has coached and inspired many people from our town and country. He has helped the young people of the town achieve national and international standard, winning three Ulster championships and Irish championship titles.
Mark Horton, 32, from Coleraine, will carry the Flame onto Downhill Beach with the Mussenden Temple on the hill in the background. Mark was selected through the Samsung campaign for his time and dedication to improving the local river. Mark is a member of the Ballinderry river enhancement association (BREA). Which is a charity set up to improve the quality of the river for anglers walkers canoeist and any other groups interested in the river. Four years ago mark started a project called RIPPLE( river involving people place and leading by example ).Through his energy and commitment this project has gone from strength to strength bringing together people from all walks of life of all ages and backgrounds with one overall aim which is to make our river a healthier place for wildlife and people to enjoy.
Isobel Coote, 58, from Ballygawley, who was nominated through the LOCOG campaign for being an inspirational mother and grandmother, employer, community organiser and friend, will carry the Flame to the middle of the Peace Bridge where she will hand it to Meabh Fisher, 13, from Derry~Londonderry. Meabh was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign for her bravery in battling a permanent health condition. Meabh was born prematurely and developed necrotising enterocolitis resulting in her needing a resection of the bowel. She suffered infantile spasms 'WEST Syndrome and the early expectations for life for her parents was one of not being able to walk or talk with poor vision. Meabh has a permanent Ileostomy and she has moderate learning difficulties. Despite all this Meabh has attended mainstream primary school at Oakgrove integrated Primary School in Derry~Londonderry where the torch will visit. This school and her parents have persisted and brought Meabh successfully through many tough formative years. The journey has been rewarding for Meabh, her teachers and fellow classmates who have been witness to such a kind loving child among them.
Evening celebration summary:
The evening celebration will take place in St Columb’s Park
The evening celebration will feature a variety of entertainment staged by LOCOG, Coca-Cola and Samsung - with support from Derry City Council. The show will start at 5pm.
The line-up includes music from General Fiasco and dance act Twist and Pulse. There will also be entertainment from local acts staged by Derry City Council.
Towards the end of the two-hour show, the last Torchbearer of the day in Derry~Londonderry – Darrel Harpur, from Strabane - will light a celebration cauldron on stage at the event which will enable the Olympic Flame to be seen by the audience. Darrel was selected through the LOCOG campaign. Darrel has special educational needs and spent a significant amount of his primary school education in a school based special unit catering for his needs. He does not let his medical difficulties prevent him from playing a full part in all aspects of school life. He successfully made the transition into mainstream post primary education and has shown a determination to succeed in all activities he has undertaken. Darrel has represented the school in recent visits to local primary schools where he described his experience of Strabane Academy. He has a keen interest in sport and in particular equestrian events. Through this interest he has had an association with Special Olympics. Darrel is extremely popular with his peers and can communicate easily with people of all ages
Other Torchbearers during the day will include:
Antony Brown, 34, from Derry~Londonderry, was selected through the LOCOG public nomination campaign and will carry the Flame in Greysteel. Antony was nominated by one of his parents for his youth and Search and Rescue work, He works with children of all ages from all communities and teaches them how to set up their own businesses, (a vital service to show to the young the value of enterprise and working together as a community. In the past he also worked in adventure centres with children of all ages and does Search and Rescue on a volunteer basis.
Sean McGoldrick, 60, from Portstewart, was selected through the LOCOG campaign and will be carrying the Flame in Castlerock. He was the BBC Northern Ireland Sport Unsung Hero 2011. He won the award for his involvement in the coaching of Gaelic Games in the Eoghan Roe, Coleraine club over the last 25 years.
Melanie Nocher, 23, based in Loughborough, was selected through the Coca Cola Future Flames programme. Melanie competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games for Ireland and currently 18 records at junior and senior levels in long-course and short-course events in Northern Ireland.
Anne Murray-Cavanagh, 61, from Derry~Londonderry, was selected through the Lloyds TSB programme. She is a leading light in education in Northern Ireland. She received an honorary doctorate for her visionary work in the Integrated Education Sector and her endless enthusiasm and passion lead to her being the driving force behind setting up the first Integrated Primary School in the Northwest of the province.
Sinead Hughes, 32 from Armagh, was selected through the Samsung campaign and will be carrying the Flame in Bellarena. Sinead helped raise £20,000 for the Celine Sheridan Trust, setting up a series of events including an Irish Dancing show which alone raised £12,000. The proceeds meant Sinead’s friend Celine was able to travel to America for life saving brain surgery.
The Olympic Torch Relay will also include exciting moments with extreme heights, high speeds and breath-taking spectacles and the Flame will be travelling by different methods of transport including horseback, bicycle, tram and steam-train. Every county in England and every Local Authority area in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will host the Olympic Flame, with visits reaching as far north as Lerwick in Scotland to St Helier in the south, Lowestoft in the east and Enniskillen in the west. Many thousands of people are expected to welcome the Olympic Flame along the route each day and celebrate the achievements of the Torchbearers in parks, squares and streets right around the UK.
The convoy travelling with the Flame consists of 14 core vehicles, including a pilot car, Torchbearer drop-off and pick-up shuttles, Presenting Partner vehicles, a media vehicle, a command car and security vehicles. The lead convoy, including the Presenting Partner vehicles, will provide entertainment for the crowds. The Torchbearer will follow some 5 to 7 minutes later.
A crew of approximately 350 people will be working each day of the Relay. Core teams of LOCOG staff, the Metropolitan Police Torch Security Team, Presenting Partners, host Police Forces and host Local Authorities will be working together throughout the 70 days.
James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola Northwest Europe & Nordics, said: ‘We’re seventeen days into our incredible journey and today another Coca-Cola Future Flame will carry the Olympic Flame, with Aymen McGonigle running in Derry~Londonderry. We will also get everyone to Move to the Beat tonight as we bring General Fiasco to the stage in Derry, Londonderry.’
Sally Hancock, Director, London 2012 Partnership at Lloyds Banking Group, said: “We are delighted to bring the excitement and inspiration of the Olympic Torch Relay to Northern Ireland. We’re calling on everyone to cheer their local Lloyds TSB Torchbearers – extraordinary people like Peter Jack and Anne Murray-Cavanagh, running in Coleraine and Derry~Londonderry – who have made a difference in their communities through their contributions to scouting, teaching and benefitting the lives of young people.”
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
