On Friday 6 July, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 117.30 miles through 13 communities on its journey from Ipswich to Chelmsford.
The Flame will be carried through the following communities: Ipswich, Colchester, Hatfield Peverel, Heybridge, Maldon, Rayleigh, Southend-on-Sea, Hadleigh, Basildon, Grays, Herongate, Brentwood and Chelmsford.
• 138 Torchbearers will carry the Flame, including Olympian Mark Foster
• Evening celebration to take place at Hylands House, Chelmsford
• Images from today can be downloaded here
Highlights for today include:
6.37am – The Torch Relay starts with a photo opportunity on the balcony of the Christchurch Mansion House in Ipswich where the Flame will be transferred from the lantern to the first Torch of the day. Promising young athlete, Emily Rogers, 18, from Bury St Edmunds is the first Torchbearer of the day. She is a dedicated member of the West Suffolk Athletics Club and has had much success at a Suffolk county level and in the English Schools competition. She was nominated through the LOCOG campaign.
Emily will then hand the Flame on to Kevin Curtis, 51, from Kesgrave in Ipswich who was nominated by Ipswich Borough Council through the LOCOG campaign for winning gold at the World Disabled Sailing Championships in Barcelona, and a sailing gold in the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games. Kevin remains dedicated to sport - he is a Trustee of the East Anglian Sailing Trust (EAST), a charity founded to provide boating opportunities for adults with disabilities and sits on the board of the British Olympic Association and the Sports Advisory Group for LOCOG.
2.25pm – At the Hadleigh Farm Mountain Bike course the Flame will be attached to a bicycle with a photo opportunity held at the start / finish line of the course for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Torchbearer for this moment is Kim Axford, 43, from Canvey Island a fitness instructor from Essex, who was nominated through the Lloyds TSB campaign for encouraging and making it possible for others to lead healthier and more active lifestyles.
3.46pm – Marc Grayston, 27, from Basildon will carry around the Basildon Sporting Village. Marc who was nominated through the Lloyds TSB campaign for establishing and growing a local karate club will carry the Flame along the side of the swimming pool, out onto the playing field and into the middle of the athletics track.
6.50pm – The last Torchbearer of the day will be John Bowman, 45, from Little Dunmow, who will carry the Flame into the Evening Celebration on the Hylands House site. John is carrying the Flame in memory of his wife Kirste who was selected through the LOCOG campaign for inspiring everyone who met her, her dedication to marathon running and her fundraising for breast cancer research charities despite suffering from breast cancer herself.
The London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Evening Celebration will take place at Hylands House in Chelmsford between 5pm and 7.30pm as part of the Sparks will Fly: Essex Finale. Doors open at 3.30pm and the overall event concludes at 10.30pm.
The evening celebration will feature a variety of entertainment staged by LOCOG and the three Presenting Partners of the London 2012 Olympic Torch R elay - Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung - with support from Chelmsford City Council.
The line-up includes music from Morning Parade, 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 including specially choreographed performances by Pinpoint Create and Walk the Plank involving Chelmsford community groups and large-scale audience participation.
Towards the end of the London 2012 Torch Relay show, the last Torchbearer of the day – John Bowman - will light a celebration cauldron on stage at the event which will enable the Olympic Flame to be seen by the audience.
Following the Torch Relay Evening Celebration, the audience will be invited into an adjacent area of the event site to feast, drink and play. A huge variety of refreshments will be available to purchase including the best of Essex food and drink. As the sun begins to set, the Sparks will Fly: Essex Finale event that concludes the evening’s festivities will take place.
James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola Northwest Europe & Nordics, said: ‘Today, more Coca-Cola Future Flames will help us celebrate the forty-ninth day of our amazing journey, including Amber Ferguson and Rachel Aston who carry the Olympic Flame in Heybridge and Maldon. We will also get everyone to Move to the Beat tonight as we bring Morning Parade to the stage in Chelmsford.’
Sally Hancock, Director, London 2012 Partnership at Lloyds TSB, said: ‘The Olympic Torch Relay has had a phenomenal reception in each community is has touched over the last seven weeks and Lloyds TSB is continuing to create as many opportunities as possible for the people of Essex to get involved as the Olympic Flame passes their doors. We’re calling on everyone to cheer on their local Lloyds TSB Torchbearers, including our Torchbearer team from the FitzWimarc School, who will carry the Flame in Rayleigh. 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 Chelmsford 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.’
Torchbearer highlights:
Mark Foster will carry the Flame in Southend-on-Sea. Mark who has competed in five Olympic Games (Beijing 2008, Sydney 2000, Atlanta 1996, Barcelona 1992 and Seoul 1988) and who is one of Britain’s most successful swimmers was selected to carry the Flame by Lloyds TSB because of his contribution to swimming and inspiring young athletes through his support of Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week.
Sacha Sewell, 38, from Chelmsford will carry the Flame in Hadleigh. Sacha was nominated through the LOCOG campaign for her coaching work at Chelmsford Sport and Athletic Centre where she coaches children, adults, able-bodied and disabled participants alike. Aside from her exercise classes she also educates children about the importance of having a healthy lifestyle, has raised £900 for the Columbus School & College which supports children with severe disabilities and visits sheltered accommodation to teach Otago to elderly people.
Amber Ferguson, 13, from Chelmsford will carry the flame in Heybridge. Selected through the Coca-Cola Future Flames programme, Amber is a keen ice-skater and is the Number 1 Young Pairs Skater in the UK. Her goal is to show other people that no matter who you are or where you're from you should still aim to be 'the best you can be'! As an Essex Ambassador, she is about to visit schools where she will be talking to teenagers about sports and the opportunities available to them. Amber aims to inspire young people to become active and to find something to be passionate about.
Dena Al-Nakeeb, 24, from Bungay will carry the Flame in Southend-on-Sea. Nominated through LOCOG’s campaign for her work at the local Open Academy where she arranges a mix of activities focused on community work, educational workshops and visits to the community. Having volunteered for the programme, Dena mentors the young people group and encouraged them to take part in positive activities designed to increase self-esteem and respect for others and themselves. Dena has also made four donations of her bone marrow.
Mark Clifford, 40, from Brentwood will carry the Flame in Southend-on-Sea. Mark who was nominated through the Samsung campaign climbed Kilimanjaro for Macmillan in 2011 and raised over £11,000. He`s now found a passion for combining challenges and charity work and hopes to raise thousands more for Macmillan. Future challenges include a John O’Groats to Land’s End cycle ride and Everest Base Camp is being mulled over for 2013.
For more information visit: www.london2012.com
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