Nigel Hart

Nigel is the most positive and inclusive person I know.

While he participates in a range of sporting activities, it is his enthusiasm for encouraging others to get involved that he should be recognised for. No matter how good people are at sport or activity, Nigel is always helping, coaching and encouraging others to join in. He is a regular public speaker on the benefits of participation, drawing on his experience as an Everest summiteer, University lecturer and community GP. And he does all this in a humorous and apolitical way.

His catchphrase - which he uses in particular in relation to outdoor sports - is 'You never regret going out'. He recognises that participation often involves getting over personal reluctance or fear of the unknown. 'Never regretting' reflects his personal ethos - everything is an opportunity and everything is an opportunity to involve others.

Nigel would see carrying the torch as not just an honour. He would use it to get others involved. It would not just be Nigel carrying the torch; it would be family, friends, colleagues, and the wider community being carried along and inspired by an ordinary, but quite extraordinary, man.

You won't regret getting Nigel to carry the torch.

(Note this is a resubmission - the previous submission had an incorrect e-mail address)