On Friday 15 June, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 64.15 miles through 18 communities on its journey from Alnwick to Newcastle.
The Relay will travel through the communities of Alnwick, Hipsburn, Warkworth, Amble, Ashington, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Choppington, Morpeth, Hartford, Bedlington, Blyth, Whitley Bay, Cullercoats, Tynemouth, North Shields, Howdon, Wallsend, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Highlights for today include:
7.28am – The first Torchbearer of the day will be Richard Moules, 65, from Hexham, will carry the Flame from Alnwick Cross Monument. Richard was nominated for the leading role that he played in the formation of Humshaugh Community Ventures that breathed new life into the local community.
8.03am – There will be a photo opportunity at Warkworth Castle when Tony Holland, 38, from Northumberland will carry the Flame.
At 5.35pm Graham Heath, 45, from Stocksfield, will carry the Flame around Old Eldon Square in Newcastle. Graham was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign for his services to basketball after he founded Newcastle East Griffins.
At 5.40pm football legend Jack Charlton will carry the Flame through the city centre. Jack, an English former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup, will pass the Flame at 5.42pm to David Graydon, 41, from Gateshead. David will carry the Flame through the Newcastle Civic Centre. David was selected through the Lloyds TSB campaign for his work as a youth worker with Gateshead Youth Council.
6.17pm – Gillian Hardy, 43, from Newcastle, will carry the Flame into St James Park. Gillian was nominated for her work as a school governor and running the local Brownies. Gillian will then hand the Flame to Christopher Day, 52, from North Shields who will carry the Flame around a lap of the pitch. Christopher was selected through the Samsung campaign for his work as Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Newcastle University. Christopher will hand the Flame to Joanna Lacey, 24, from Newcastle, who will carry it out of the stadium. Joanna was selected through the Samsung campaign for her work at East End Health and her passion for teaching people across Newcastle about food, nutrition and cooking.
6.32pm – Terry Eccles, 59, from Hexham, will carry the Flame through the Centre for Life. Terry was nominated through the LOCOG campaign for all the voluntary work he does in his local community.
6.55pm – Adventurer Bear Grylls will carry the Flame down a zip wire from the top of the Tyne Bridge archway.
At the bottom, the Flame will be handed to Jane Wood, 18, from Gateshead, who will carry the Flame onto Gateshead Millennium Bridge. Jane was nominated for her dedication to athletics at Gateshead Harriers and for being a good role model. In the middle of bridge Jane will hand the Flame to William Hardy, 14, from Newcastle, who will carry the Flame into the Evening Celebration on The Quayside. William was nominated for his determination in overcoming the fact that he lost both his legs and part of his left arm to meningitis, to play cricket for Newcastle Wasps Cricket Club.
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 Newcastle City Council.
The line-up includes music from Little Comets, 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 Newcastle City Council.
Towards the end of the two-hour show, the last Torchbearer of the day in Newcastle – William Hardy - 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:
Louis Smith, 23, At the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, at just nineteen years old, Louis Smith took home a bronze medal becoming the first Briton in one hundred years to win a medal in the men’s individual gymnastics event. Following the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Louis continued to train hard and impress in competitions. He qualified for the World Cup Final in Madrid in 2009, placing 4th overall on the pommel horse. Later that year, Louis won gold on the pommel horse, in front of a home crowd at the British Championships.
This success continued when Louis won a silver medal in both the team and individual competitions at the 2009 European Championships in Milan, despite competing with a broken thumb. Louis missed out on first place by only a tenth of a point. Most recently, Louis added a World Championship silver medal in 2011 and a gold medal at the Visa International Gymnastics competition in January 2012 to his ongoing list of achievements.
Ryan Mcguinness, 13, from Newcastle, will carry the Flame through North Shields. Ryan was nominated in the LOCOG public nomination campaign for the courage that he has shown in battling Stevens-Johnson Syndrome which has put an end to his promising football career.
Darius Knight, 21, from London, will carry the Flame in Choppington. He is one of Britain’s most promising young talents in table tennis. He is three-times National Under-21 champion and World English Ranking number 3. The sound of him playing table tennis features in the Coca-Cola anthem, Anywhere in the World.
Andrea Thompson, 43, from Newcastle, will carry the Flame in Newcastle. She was nominated through the Lloyds TSB public nomination campaign. She lost her son Jordan Thompson in 2007 age 15 to an infection whilst battling with leukaemia. Jordan put his life into fundraising for children and teenagers in the same situation as himself and when he sadly passed away his mum Andrea set up the Toma Fund in his memory.
Sam Lefeber, 12, from Luxembourg, will carry the Flame in Whitley Bay. Sam was selected through the Samsung campaign for his has incredible mental strength and is always there for the people who surround him. As a volunteer his Sundays are dedicated to other young children by giving them support and real inspiration during training. His dynamic and can-do-spirit created a sport group of 5 children from his neighbourhood and together they train every week.
James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola Northwest Europe & Nordics, said: 'Today, two more Coca-Cola Future Flames will help us celebrate the twenty-eighth day of our amazing journey, when Kendal Barclay and Kate Willis carry the Olympic Flame in Blyth and North Shields. We will also get everyone to Move to the Beat tonight as we bring Little Comets to the stage in Newcastle.'
Sally Hancock, Director, London 2012 Partnership at Lloyds Banking Group, said: 'As the Olympic Torch Relay returns to England, Lloyds TSB is proud to bring the excitement of London 2012 to Northumberland. We are calling on communities throughout the region to cheer their local Lloyds TSB Torchbearers, extraordinary people like Norman Anderson and Andrea Thompson, running in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Our Lloyds TSB Flame Followers continue to dazzle and entertain, lighting the route ahead of the Flame before their performance in the Flame Followers Spectacular in Newcastle 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.'
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
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These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.
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