On Saturday 9th June, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 169.25 miles through 17 communities on its journey from Glasgow to Inverness.
92 inspirational Torchbearers will carry the Flame through the following communities: Glasgow, Bearsden, Clydebank, Dumbarton, Luss, Tarbet, Crianlarich, Tyndrum, Glencoe, North Ballachulish, Fort William, Spean Bridge, Fort Augustus, Invermoriston, Lewiston, Drumnadrochit and Inverness.
Highlights for today are:
7.03am – The first Torchbearer of the day will be Emma Baird, 16, from St Carmyle, who will start with the Flame on the Tall Ship at the Riverside Museum. Emma was nominated for determination in overcoming her health problems to play sport. She was diagnosed as having Upper Femoral Epiphysis. Meaning her hip had dislocated from the socket ball and the socket had slipped. Doctors said she would not play sport again. She returned to school in a wheelchair after surgery and through determination and hard work continued to swim using only her arms covering distances that most could not do with active limbs. Emma never let her high spirits slip and her strength to get out the wheelchair was nothing short of inspirational, she moved to crutches and eventually walking unaided. She now is part of the school football team which has been hugely successful.
9.58am – Luss, Loch Lomond. Ruth Leith, 33, from Clydebank, will carry the Flame through the village of Luss and onto the pier by Loch Lomond. Ruth was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign for her dedication to teaching martial arts and the inspiration that she gives others. Ruth will hand the Flame to Shelia Mcneill, 51, from Glasgow on the pier in front of Loch Lomond. Sheila was nominated for her work with The British Driving Society.
1.52pm – Nevis Centre, Fort William. Karen Darke, 40, from Inverness, will carry the Flame to the Nevis Centre in Fort William. Karen was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign. She was nominated for determination in overcoming the injuries that she sustained in a climbing accident. Joseph Creegan, 71, from Pitlochry, will carry the Flame from the Nevis Centre. He was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign. He was nominated for all the money that he has raised for charity through marathons and other fund raising activity.
2.30pm onwards – Loch Ness. The Flame will travel across Loch Ness by boat from Fort Augustus to Drumnadrochit. During the journey the Flame will pass Urquhart Castle and visit the Rockness Festival at Dores.
6.50pm – The last Torchbearer of the day, Sandra Ross, 62, from Nairn, will carry the Flame into the Northern Meeting Park. Sandra was selected through Bank of Scotland for her work at Nairn Amateur Athletics Club and her role as Convener of the Nairn Highland Games.
The evening celebration will take place in the Northern Meeting Park, Inverness. It will feature a variety of entertainment staged by LOCOG and the three Presenting Partners of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay - Coca-Cola, Bank of Scotland and Samsung. The show will start at 4pm.
The line-up includes music from Emeli Sande, a dance troupe who will provide a unique fusion of street performance, theatre and sport and dance act Twist and Pulse. There will also be entertainment from local acts staged by The Highland Council.
Towards the end of the two-hour show, the last Torchbearer of the day - Sandra Ross - will light a celebration cauldron on stage at the event which will enable the Olympic Flame to be seen by the audience.
Torchbearer highlights:
Jennifer Falconer, 36, is carrying the Flame in Inverness. Jennifer, who was nominated through Bank of Scotland, has helped raise awareness of charities in her role as a TV presenter. She is also an ambassador and campaigner for Princes’ Trust.
John McNiven, 77, is the Weightlifting Scotland Vice Chairman and former Bronze medallist in 1974 and 1970 Commonwealth Games. John is one of Scotland’s most successful weightlifters and still actively participates in the sport. He is carrying the Flame in Tyndrum.
Jennifer Tawse, 35, from Biggar, will carry the Flame in Bearsden. She was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign for how she has been an inspiration to others by the way she has battled tongue cancer.
Lindsay Calcraft, 31, from Dunoon, will carry the Flame in Inverness. She was selected through the Coca-Cola Future Flames programme. She is passionate about mountain biking and is the secretary of her local bike club. Alongside this she is a keen runner having completed two half marathons. Her passion for sport and helping others to enjoy sport sets her apart from her friends.
Daniel Carlin, 21, from Barrhead, will carry the Flame in Dumbarton. He is a discus and shot athlete and Bank of Scotland Local Hero from Renfrewshire, selected by Bank of Scotland because of his commitment and dedication to his sport of dicuss and shot and inspiring his peers through coaching carried out in his community. Daniel is the Scottish under 20 champion for shot and discus.
Yannick Tregaro, 34, from Goteborg, will carry the Flame in Crianlarich. He was selected through the Samsung campaign. Since 1999 he has coached several Swedish athletics team, including some of the worlds’ best athletes such as Kajsa Bergqvist, Christian Olsson and Emma Green Tregaro.
James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola Northwest Europe & Nordics, said: “We’re twenty-two days into our incredible journey and today another inspirational Coca-Cola Future Flame will carry the Olympic Flame, with Lindsay Calcraft running in Inverness. We will also get everyone to Move to the Beat tonight as we bring Emeli Sandé to the stage in Inverness.”
Sally Hancock, Director, London 2012 Partnership at Lloyds Banking Group, said: “The Olympic Torch Relay had a phenomenal reception in Scotland yesterday, and today we are taking the excitement of London 2012 from Glasgow into the Highlands. Bank of Scotland is creating as many opportunities as possible for people to get involved as the Olympic Flame passes their door. We’re calling on everyone to cheer on their local Bank of Scotland Torchbearers – extraordinary people like Kelly James and Sandra Ross, running in North Ballachulish and Inverness. Our troupe of performers, the Flame Followers, are lighting up the celebrations along the route ahead of the Relay before their Flame Followers Spectacular performance in Inverness tonight.”
Sunny Hwang, Vice President & Head of Global Sports Marketing, Samsung Electronics, said: “Samsung is delighted to be a Presenting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay as it has given us the perfect opportunity to encourage everyone from all around the world to be involved in the 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.
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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.
The London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay arrived in Glasgow ahead of a special concert in Stirling on 21 June to open the London 2012 Festival. The charismatic conductor Gustavo Dudamel will bring his 200 strong Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela for The Big Concert in the Scottish community of Raploch, Stirling, where they will perform an outdoor concert set against the backdrop of Stirling Castle. The concert will also be broadcast live on BBC Four, Radio Scotland and on 22 London 2012 Live Sites (Big Screens) across the UK.
A Hansel of Film – Shetland to Southampton and Back will also be launched for the London 2012 Festival in Shetland on 10th June with the arrival of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay in the isles as it reaches its UK most northerly point. The project will see a relay of screenings of short films made by the public in each of the nations and many of the regions of the UK . The films will be relayed between participating venues around the UK and culminate in a marathon screening of over 100 short films at Shetland's annual film festival, Screenplay 2012, between 4th and 9th September.
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 TSB’s [Bank of Scotland’s] troupe of performers the Flame Followers will be travelling ahead of the Flame to excite crowds with a unique fusion of street performance, theatre and sport celebrating the endeavour, athleticism, agility and skill of Olympic sporting heroes, Team GB.
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 Bank of Scotland 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 in each locality will each win a £5,000 grant from Lloyds Banking Group. At the Bank of Scotland site members of the public will also have the opportunity to have their photo taken with the Olympic Torch, meet Bank of Scotland 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 Bank of Scotland in your community please visit www.bankofscotland.co.uk/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
