On Thursday 21st June, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 121.77 miles through 16 communities on its journey from Dumfries to Bowness-on-Windermere.
The Relay will travel through the following communities: Dumfries, Annan, Eastriggs, Gretna, Carlisle, Wigton, Aspatria, Marypot, Flimby, Workington, Whitehaven, Cockermouth, Keswick, Grasmere, Ambleside and Bowness-on-Windermere.
Highlights for today include:
At 07.52 Demelza Powell, 34, from Dalbeattie, will begin the day with the Flame at the Robert Burns statue. Demi has previously spent seven months as a volunteer working with disabled children. She is currently a full time carer, as she has adopted two little boys with disabilities, and the difference she has made to their lives is incredible. Demi still has time for voluntary work and is currently working with SOFT UK as a fundraising officer.
At 3.30pm Shameem Arnold, 35, from Wilton, will carry the Flame along Whitehaven Harbour front. Shameem was selected through the Coca-Cola campaign for her work in helping to make people happier and fitter through dance. Three years ago she had ME and couldn’t walk. Following the illness she created Moky (fun dance fitness classes) with the aim of making exercise accessible for everyone by using simple fun dance routines.
At 6.09pm Andrew Holden, 70, from Barrow, will carry the Flame on an open top bus in Grasmere. Andrew is dedicated to the sport of hockey, he will be 71 on 20.8.11 and has been playing hockey since the age of 14. During his career he has played at club and county level, and then progressed to Masters (veterans) hockey. He was invited to join the England LX Club (over 60’s) and has played in European and World Championships for England in over 60s, over 65’s and over 70’s winning Bronze, Silver and Gold medals - the latest was gold for over 70’s in the world championships September 2010.
At 7.05pm Stephanie Booth, 14, from Windermere will carry the Flame on a steam boat on Lake Windermere. Stephanie was nominated for her time and dedication to triathlon. She has represented Cumbria in both swimming and cross country.
At 8pm Jan Booth, 23, from Kendal, will carry the Flame into the Evening Celebration at The Glebe. Jan was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign for the work that she does in her role as County Chairman of Cumbria Young Farmers Club.
The evening celebration will take place at The Glebe, Bowness-in-Windermere.
This event will be one of only five opening events of the London 2012 Festival. The spectacular show will see streams of colour and light blaze across the skies above Lake Windermere, soon after the Olympic Torch has passed through the town. The evening will be in two parts. From 6pm there will be a celebration event to mark the arrival of the torch, then later the Lakes Alive part of the evening, On The Night Shift, will kick off, at around 10pm to mark the start of the London 2012 Festival. It will finish by 11pm at the latest.
The evening celebration 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 South Lakeland District Council.
The line-up includes Katy B, the sensational singer-songwriter and Mercury Prize nominee, will perform at Bowness-on-Windermere’s spectacular evening celebration. Her performance will include ‘Anywhere in the World’, the song for the Coca-Cola Olympic Games campaign recorded with Mark Ronson, a dance troupe who will provide a unique fusion of street performance, theatre and sport and dance act Twist and Pulse.
Towards the end of the two-hour show, the last Torchbearer of the day - Jan Booth - will light a celebration cauldron on stage at the event which will enable the Olympic Flame to be seen by the audience.
Other Torchbearer highlights include:
Chris Moss, selected through the Coca-Cola Future Flames programme, despite losing most of his sight due to illness and being told by neurologists that he'd never walk again, Chris fought hard to prove them wrong and is now an active basketball player having joined a team for members with disabilities. He's the only one on the team who suffers from severely impaired vision, however they're currently training to compete in the Special Olympics. Chris uses his story to inspire young people to keep hold of their dreams and use sport as an enabler to become a healthier and stronger person.
Michael Park, 47, from Cockermouth, selected through the Lloyds TSB nomination campaign, is Team Leader of Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team, a charitable and voluntary organisation based in Cumbria. Over the last few years Mike has led 40 team members through some of our most challenging rescues including the Cockermouth floods in 2009, the West Cumbria shootings 2010, and the Keswick school coach crash in 2010.
Thomas Braithwaite, 16, from Wigton and carrying the Flame in Maryport. Tom, who was nominated through the LOCOG campaign, is a member of the Watchtree Wheelers Cycling Centre and visits us regularly to take his parents on a tour of the Watchtree Nature Reserves cycle tracks; they used to take him but now he leads the way. Tom is 14 and has numerous health difficulties including Down’s Syndrome, Autism, impaired hearing and severe learning difficulties. Tom has overcome countless obstacles to get to where he is today; obstacles which have come in all shapes and sizes from major heart surgery to everyday communication.
Stephanie Booth, 15, from Windermere and carrying the Flame in Ambleside. Stephanie, who was nominated by South Lakeland District Council through the LOCOG campaign, is a special and talented young triathlete, a caring and sensitive person, who gets on well with people. She always does her best, whatever she is doing, and is an inspiration to her family and friends. Stephanie started swimming at seven and, from the age of nine, she represented Cumbria at breaststroke each year and holds every club record, including the U17 girls 200m breaststroke, a record she broke age 12. At 8 Stephanie took part and had a record breaking win in her first Triathlon. She represented the region at inter-regional competitions coming 12th, beating Wales and Scotland and is currently ranked number two in the North West.
Calum Graham, 39, was nominated through the Samsung campaign. Calum has been a Sports Development Officer for over 20 years. He has introduced many children to sport and physical activity, and set a number from his small rural area on their way to international competition. He always goes the extra mile for the children he supports, acting as an inspirational role model to them. He is from Dumfries and is carrying the Flame in Gretna.
James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola Northwest Europe & Nordics, said: “Today, two more Coca-Cola Future Flames will help us celebrate the thirty-forth day of our amazing journey, when Chris Moss and Paul Mcghee carry the Olympic Flame in Annan and Gretna. We will also get everyone to Move to the Beat tonight as we bring Katy B to the stage in Bowness-on-Windermere.”
Sally Hancock, Director, London 2012 Partnership at Lloyds Banking Group, said: “We are excited to bring the Olympic Torch Relay briefly back to Scotland before the Flame continues its journey into the Lake District. Lloyds TSB and Bank of Scotland are 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 Lloyds TSB or Bank of Scotland Torchbearers – extraordinary people like Alison Cother and Mike Park, running in Annan and Cockermouth. 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 at Bowness-on-Windermere 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 and we feel the Torchbearers selected really do demonstrate the ‘gone the extra mile’ community element that lies at the heart of our London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay campaign."
Last November LOCOG launched a grassroots programme inviting the nations Local Leaders to step forward and start planning local celebrations to celebrate the spirit of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Today there are over 14,000 London 2012 Local Leaders across the country planning community events to Line the Streets for the Olympic Torch Relay.
In Scotland, 378 people have signed up to be Local Leaders, like Calum Graham who will also be running with the Torch in Gretna on the 21st June. Calum has been working hard in the area to encourage people to come out to see the Torch by doing presentations in schools, at sports awards and for community groups to talk about the Olympics and the Torch Relay. On the day, Calum has arranged for three school choirs and a pipe band to perform a bog Scottish goodbye as the Torch leaves Gretna and crosses the border. For more information on Local Leaders, getting tools to help you bring together your family, friends or community celebrate moments such as the Opening Ceremony, Super Saturday, the Paralympic Torch Relay and the Last Night of the Games, visit www.london2012.com/localleaders.
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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
and Paralympic Games Limited
