Olympic Flame Visits Durdle Door

Day 56: Olympic Flame to Visit Chesil Beach and Durdle Door on Its Journey from Portland Bill to Bournemouth

On Friday 13 July, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 147 miles through 24 communities on its journey from Portland Bill to Bournemouth.

(PRWEB) July 13, 2012

• On Friday 13 July the Relay will travel 76 miles 

• 147 Torchbearers will carry the Flame
• Evening celebration to take place on Bournemouth Beach
• Images from today can be downloaded here

On Friday 13 July, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 147 miles through 24 communities on its journey from Portland Bill to Bournemouth.

The Flame will be carried through the following communities: Portland Bill, Southwell, Weston, Easton, Portland, Fortuneswell, Weymouth, Preston, Osmington, Winfrith Newburgh, Wool, Corfe Castle, Swanage, Stoborough, Wareham, Sandford, Lytchett Minster, Upton, Hamworthy, Poole, Ashley Cross, Branksome, Wallisdown and Bournemouth.

Highlights for tomorrow include:

7.05am – The first Torchbearer of the day will be Tom Mules, 16, from Weymouth, who will start with the Flame at Pulpit Rock, Portland Bill. Tom was nominated by Weymouth and Portland Council through the LOCOG scheme for his commitment to competing in biathlons, triathlons and his work as a young ambassador for sport and his work with children with disabilities.

8.04am – Vickie Mattock, 39, from Gloucester will carry the Flame to the vantage point overlooking Chesil Beach. Vickie was selected through the Lloyds TSB campaign for her work with local charities.

10.55am – Lisa Devine, 15, from Ringwood will carry the Flame to Durdle Door. Lisa was nominated through the LOCOG campaign for her dedication to swimming with Swim Bournemouth performance squad and her youth ambassador work.

12.09pm – The Flame will pass the house where Commander Bill Collins planned the 1948 Olympic Torch Relay on East Street in Corfe Castle. His daughter, Penny Elsom, will be outside the house to watch it pass.

19.20 – The last Torchbearer of the day is Charles Rogers, 16, from Ringwood, who will carry the Flame into the Evening Celebration in Bournemouth. Charles was selected through the Coca-Cola Future Flames programme for his work with the charity Sailability.

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 Bournemouth Borough Council. The show will start at 5pm (doors open at 3pm) and the event will finish at 8pm.

The line-up includes music from Wretch 32, 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 Bournemouth Borough Council.

The first of these performances, entitled 'Bournemouth Sings', will feature an electric quintet from world famous Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra accompanying local young people in a unique musical performance.

The second performance, called 'Bournemouth Dances', will showcase some of the amazing talent from the renowned Pavilion Dance organisation in which four hip hop crews provide an exhilarating and energetic dance extravaganza accompanied by a local DJ.

Towards the end of the two-hour show, the last Torchbearer of the day in Bournemouth – Charles Rogers - will light a celebration cauldron on stage at the event which will enable the Olympic Flame to be seen by the audience.

Torchbearer highlights:

Giles Scott will carry the Flame in Weymouth. He was nominated by the British Olympic Association for his skills and dedication in sailing. He started sailing at the age of six in Graham Water in Cambridgeshire, and since then has had a meteoric rise to ultimately challenge the iconic Ben Ainslie for the coveted GBR place in the Finn Class at Weymouth in 2012.

At the tender age of 24, Giles can boast numerous successes at the very highest level, including World Championship bronze and European Championship gold It is testament to his skill, dedication and absolute determination that he was even in a position to challenge Ainslie, the greatest ever British Olympic sailor, for a place at the top of the podium. His is a success story that will inspire young sailors around the country and the world that if you work hard and believe in yourself that you can achieve your goals.

Bournemouth Girls School, who have a team of ten carrying the Flame in Bournemouth place for their continued support of Lloyds TSB's National School Sport Week.

Sophie Johnstone, 27, from Southwick is carrying the Flame in Fortuneswell. Sophie was selected through the Coca-Cola Future Flames campaign for her dedication to judo and her success when representing Great Britain atJudo. Over the years time she has achieved many fantastic results such as becoming British Champion two years in a row, representing GB at two World Championships and winning numerous World Cup and European Cup medals

Carmel Ryan, 44, from Southborne, is carrying the Flame in Osmington for her work as a police beat officer in a deprived area of the South West. Her commitment to the community she serves is being recognised through the LOCOG Moment to Shine campaign.

James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola Northwest Europe & Nordics, said: “Today, more Coca-Cola Future Flames will help us celebrate the fifty-sixth day of our amazing journey, including Michelle Quaid and Andrew McKenna who carry the Olympic Flame in Preston and Poole. We will also get everyone to Move to the Beat tonight as we bring Wretch 32 to the stage in Bournemouth.”

Sally Hancock, Director, London 2012 Partnership at Lloyds Banking Group, said: “We are proud to be bringing the excitement of London 2012 to communities along the route of the Olympic Torch Relay as it continues its journey along the south coast. Lloyds TSB 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 Lloyds TSB Torchbearers – extraordinary people like Wendy Morrell, carrying the Flame in Upton. We’re also delighted to have a team of pupils from Bournemouth School for Girls carrying the Flame in Bournemouth. The Lloyds TSB Flame Followers will light up the route ahead of the Flame, before their Flame Followers Spectacular performance in Bournemouth 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.

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 linkhttp://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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Olympic Flame Visits Caversham Court Gardens

Day 54: Olympic Flame to Visit Caversham Court Gardens and Winchester Cathedral on Its Journey from Reading to Salisbury

On Wednesday 11 July, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 105.35 miles through 13 communities on its journey from Reading to Salisbury.

(PRWEB) July 11, 2012

On Wednesday 11 July, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 105.35 miles through 13 communities on its journey from Reading to Salisbury. 

• On Wednesday 11 July the Relay will travel 105 miles
• 120 Torchbearers will carry the Flame
• Evening celebration to take place at Hudson Fields, Salisbury
• Images from today can be downloaded here

The Flame will be carried through the following communities: Reading, Theale, Thatcham, Newbury, Basingstoke, Kings Worthy, Winchester, Andover, Ludgershall, Tidworth, Amesbury, The Winterbournes and Salisbury.

Highlights for tomorrow include:
7.59am – Lee Umpleby, 34, from Reading, will start with the Flame at Caversham Court Gardens. Lee was nominated by Reading City Council through the LOCOG programme for his outstanding work as a community police officer.
12.33pm – In Basingstoke a Torchbearer will run along London Street, the same stretch of route as a Torchbearer in the 1948 Olympic Torch Relay.
1.51pm – Kirstie Nash, 18, from Winchester, will carry the Flame to Winchester Cathedral. Kirstie was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign for the help and support that she gives to her disabled sister.

6.50pm – The last Torchbearer of the day, Dolly Burnett, 49, from Salisbury, who was put forward by Salisbury City Council for her years of voluntary work with young people will carry the Flame into the Evening Celebration at Hudson Field, Salisbury.

The London 2012 Torch Relay evening celebration will take place at Hudson Field, Salisbury. The show begins at 1pm and run until 10pm, featuring 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 Salisbury City Council.

The line-up includes music from chart topping, Wretch 32, 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 Wiltshire Council such as the Salisbury Plain Military Wives, City Stereo and These Days.

Just before 7pm, the last Torchbearer of the day - Dolly Burnett - will light a celebration cauldron on stage at the event which will enable the Olympic Flame to be seen by the audience.

Torchbearer highlights:

George Weedon, 92, is carrying the Flame in Reading. George was a gymnast in the 1948 Olympic Games. In 1948 in London he participated in the Men's Individual All-Around, Team All-Around, Floor Exercise, Horse Vault, Parallel Bars, Horizontal Bar, Rings, and Pommell Horse, placing 12th out of 16 nations in the team competition.

Clare Balding is carrying the Flame in Newbury. Clare has been involved in sport all her life, both as a competitor in various equestrian disciplines and as a presenter for radio and television. She hails from the Hampshire/Berkshire border area and is also a patron of Riding for the Disabled and the British Paralympic Association, two organisations that promote the ideals of healing and restorative powers of sport.

Matthew Gaskell, 22, from Newbury, will carry the Flame in Reading. He was selected through the Lloyds TSB campaign. Matt lost his 44 year old aunt to cancer and saw the devastation of her young family. Determined to do something special he helped to organise an unsupported (everything pulled in sledges) expedition to the South Pole. At age 18 he became one of the youngest ever to walk there and helped raise over £150,000 to build a new cancer treatment unit which was completed in 2010 and now delivers 10,000 treatments/year. He continues to raise funds.

Gabriella Houseman, 17, from Wallingford selected through the Coca-Cola Future Flames programme will carry the Flame in Newbury. Gabriella has represented Great Britain in fencing championships in Hungary, Italy and France and is also captain of sport at her school and coaches the younger girls.

Millie Clifford, 19, from Salisbury, selected through the Samsung campaign, will carry the Flame in The Winterbournes. Millie is a promising young athlete with her main events being 400 and 400 metres hurdles. She has competed in events at Gateshead, Loughborough and at Bedford for the Junior AAA championships. She is deeply involved in the coaching and training of younger athletes. She has two younger sisters, Harriet the younger is Learning Disabled and Millie plays her part in helping to look after her. As a consequence of this family link with mental handicap, Millie takes a voluntary job each summer helping to run a local authority organised summer activity programme for the Children’s Disability Team.

Alex Protheroe, 29, from Salisbury was selected through the LOCOG Moment to Shine campaign for improving attainment levels in GSCE PE at The Stonehenge School, for his commitment to coaching and for his hard work and dedication more broadly. Alex will carry the Flame in Salisbury.

James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola Northwest Europe & Nordics, said: ‘Today, more Coca-Cola Future Flames will help us celebrate the fifty-fourth day of our amazing journey, including Joe Robinson and Gabriella Houseman who carry the Olympic Flame in Theale and Newbury. We will also get everyone to Move to the Beat tonight as we bring Wretch 32 to the stage in Salisbury.’

Sally Hancock, Director, London 2012 Partnership at Lloyds Banking Group, said: ‘We are looking forward to continuing our amazing journey on the Olympic Torch Relay and are inviting each community to come out in force to feel the excitement of London 2012. Lloyds TSB is creating as many opportunities as possible for people between Reading and Salisbury to get involved as the Olympic Flame passes their door. We’re calling on everyone to cheer their local Lloyds TSB Torchbearers – extraordinary people like Sarah Firth and Nick Simon, carrying the Flame in Reading and Ludgershall today. 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 Salisbury 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 .

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. 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:http://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 http://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 visithttp://www.samsung.com/uk/london2012/.

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.

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.

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

Olympic Flame Greeted by The Queen

Day 53: Olympic Flame to Travel in a Boat at Henley and be Greeted by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle During Its Journey from Oxford to Reading

On Tuesday 10th July, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 87.05 miles through 15 communities on its journey from Oxford to Reading.

(PRWEB) July 10, 2012

On Tuesday 10th July, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 87.05 miles through 15 communities on its journey from Oxford to Reading.

The Relay will travel through the following communities: Oxford, Abingdon, Wallingford, Crowmarsh Gifford, Nettlebed, Henley-on-Thames, Bisham Abbey, Maidenhead, Burnham, Slough, Windsor, Egham, Ascot, Bracknell and Reading.

Highlights for today include:

7.05am – Sir Roger Bannister will start with the Flame at Iffley Road Stadium, the place where he famously broke the four minute mile. He will hand the Flame to the first Torchbearer of the day, Nicola Byrom, 25, from Oxford. Nicola will then carry the Flame around the running track.

Nicola is studying for a doctorate in experimental psychology at Brasenose College. In 2009 she launched SRSH (Student Run Self Help), a volunteer-run organisation to provide self-help groups across the country for students with eating disorders, and has raised more than £60,000 for the programme.

9.37am – At Henley on Thames Mark Chesterton, 63, from Oxford, will pass the Flame onto Sir Steve Redgrave who will be in a boat that will travel northwards from the jetty at Thameside, under the bridge, then onto the jetty on the right hand side at Leander Boat Club.

Mark was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign for his hard work and dedication as head teacher at Larkrise School.

Sir Steve Redgrave was nominated by the British Olympic Association for winning an unprecedented five rowing gold medals in consecutive Olympic Games, making him the most successful British Olympian to date.    

10.14am – Sam Shepherd, 22, from Cookham, will take the Flame at Bisham Abbey. Sam was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign for raising thousands of pounds for charity.

11.43am – Olympic rower, Sarah Winckless, will take the Flame from Eton Dorney Lake jetty onto a rowing boat, the boat will then meet up with another rowing boat which will have Sarah Lewendon, 45, from Basingstoke, waiting to receive the Flame, the transfer will take place mid-lake.

Sarah Winckless was nominated by the British Olympic Association. She was World Champion and won an Olympic rowing bronze medal in rowing. Since retiring from competition, she is now Chair of BOA’s Athlete’s Commission and works with athletes and young people to help them achieve their best.

Sarah Lewendon was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign for her work as a Special Constable.

2.42pm – Renate Beynon, 66, from Reading will carry the Flame into Windsor Castle through the Henry VIII Gate. Inside she will pass the flame onto Gina Macgregor, 74, from Maidenhead, who will carry the Flame through the castle, past St George’s Chapel and into the quadrangle. In the quadrangle she will pass the Flame to Phillip Wells, 12, from Taplow, witnessed by Her Majesty The Queen and the His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.

Also present at the castle will be a number of people who took part in the 1948 Olympic Games. This will include:

Michael Adams from Torquay who was a Torchbearer and carried the Olympic Flame through Barford St Martin’s, Wiltshire.

George Weedon from Southwell, Nottinghamshire, who competed in the Gymnastics events.

Pamela Cook from Langley, who was a volunteer and worked with the South American teams who were staying in Richmond Park.

4.40pm – Denise Lewis will carry the Flame at Ascot Racecourse and will pass the flame onto Frankie Dettori who will be sitting on a horse in the centre of the ring. He will then carry the Flame on a lap of the ring.
Denise was nominated by the British Olympic Association. Denise won a bronze medal in the Heptathlon in Atlanta 1996 and then won gold in Sydney 2000, despite struggling with an achilles injury. Since retiring, Denise has become a School Sports Ambassador for the Youth Sports Trust, where her role is to inspire children to take part in PE and school sport. She remains one of the most popular and inspirational figures within British Olympic sport.

Frankie Dettori was Champion jockey in 1994, 1995 and 2004 and has won almost every major international race, becoming the first apprentice jockey to ride 100 winners since Lester Piggott. He made history at Ascot in 1996 when he won all seven races on a single day. He came close to death when escaping from a plane crash which killed his pilot in 2000, and was awarded an MBE in the same year. Currently an ambassador for QIPCO British Champions Series - Britain's premier series of Flat Racing, Frankie made it into second place in the Jockey of the Series battle in 2011, the inaugural year of the series.

6.50pm – The last Torchbearer of the day, Quentin Gunderson, 41, from Reading, will carry the Flame into the Evening Celebration at the Madjeski Stadium in Reading. Quentin was selected through the Lloyds TSB campaign for the work that he does for The Lighthouse Centre in Reading. To help raise money for TLG Quentin set himself the challenge of running 1040 miles, the equivalent to 40 marathons, in his 40th year.

The evening celebration will take place at the Madjeski Stadium, Reading.

The evening celebration event begins at 4pm and 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 Reading Borough Council.

Young Guns will perform at the Evening Celebration. A dance troupe will also provide a unique fusion of street performance, theatre and sport and there will also be a performance from dance act Twist and Pulse. There will also be performances by local acts.

Towards the end of the two-hour show, the last Torchbearer of the day – Quentin Gunderson - 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:

Raymond Blanc will carry the Flame in Wallingford. Raymond is one of the country’s most respected chef’s. He is entirely self-taught and took inspiration from his mothers cooking. He started out as a waiter and came to Britain with virtually nothing. In 1977 he and his wife put together their meagre savings and mortgaged their house to buy their first restaurant in Oxford, which won the Egon Ronay Restaurant of the Year award and Michelin stars. His current hotel and restaurant in Great Milton, Le Manoir, is the only country house in the UK to have achieved two Michelin stars for a total of 19 years. Raymond has championed and nurtured some of our most famous chefs personally in his kitchens and was voted the AA's Chefs Chef of the year by his peers in 2005. In 2007 he was awarded the OBE for services in promoting culinary excellence and for raising awareness of the importance of healthy food as a central element of family life.

Heston Blumenthal will carry the Flame in Slough. He was selected by British Airways. He`s the self-styled `mad scientist` of cooking, who won his third Michelin star younger than anyone in history. Not bad for a self-taught chef who`s only formal training is a week in Raymond Blanc`s kitchen. . He spent the next ten years in an unglamorous series of day jobs (photocopier salesman and debt collector among them) while he schooled himself through the classical repertoire of French cuisine. In 1995 he and his wife bought a 450-year-old pub in Bray, Berkshire with no view, an outside toilet and home to the surrounding area`s outlawed drinkers. This was to become the world-famous Fat Duck restaurant, recipient of three Michelin stars (only the 4th UK restaurant ever to do so) and the place where Heston would hone his so called `molecular gastronomy` with dishes such as sardine ice cream and snail porridge.. British Airways is proud to have Heston Blumenthal carry the Olympic Torch on behalf of BA due to this support on the Great Britons London 2012 Olympic programme. Heston has provided support and mentoring to Simon Hulstone to produce a bold British menu to serve millions of customers on board British Airways’ flights in the run up to and over the Games.

Ray Wilkins will carry the Flame Egham. He was selected by Samsung. Ray carries with him around 35 years of experience within the football world, with a career which has seen him play, manage and coach for some of the most successful football teams in the world. With over 84 Caps for England, Ray was awarded the honour of becoming an MBE in 1993 for his services to football. Perhaps Ray's best accomplishment to date, was most recently as a coach for Chelsea, where his ability, knowledge and passion for the beautiful game, helped lead the team to win the Premier League and FA Cup double for the first time in their history during the 2009/2010 season. Throughout the duration of the past 5 years has raised over £300,000 for several Charities.

Nominated through LOCOG’s public nomination campaign - Gerald Anderson, 57, from Wilmington in the United States will carry the Flame in Abingdon Jerry is an Internationally recognised architect and is acknowledged as the foremost authority on the design of temporary facilities and venues, in the sport and major event industry, as well as a leading force in shaping 21st century Olympics. The dominant theme in Jerry Anderson’s career has been the Olympic Games. He has directed and managed planners and architects in Atlanta, Sydney, Salt Lake City, Athens and Beijing. Also, an author of the innovative London 2012 Olympic Park master plan and the venue plan for all of the London Olympic venues, with an approach that marks the next stage in the evolution of the Olympics.

Nominated through LOCOG’s public nomination campaign - Frederick Turok, 57, from West Sussex, will carry the Flame in Bracknell Fred started his career as a PE teacher before moving into the health and fitness industry. He bought his own club, LA Fitness, in 1990 and the company, of which he is still Chairman, now has over 80 clubs nationally. Now retired Fred started the charity TAG (Target a Generation) in 2008 which focuses on training 18-24 year olds who are not in education, employment or training and helping them secure jobs in the health and fitness industry. Fred is Chairman of the Fitness Industry Association which represents public and private sector operators, equipment suppliers and training providers. The FIA's mission and Fred's passion is to get more people, more active, more often. It is for this reason that the Secretary of State for Health asked Fred in 2010 to become the Chairman of the Physical Activity Network in the Public Health Responsibility Deal. The Deal aims to tap into the potential of the private, public and voluntary sectors to improve public health and tackle health inequalities. Under Fred's guidance the Physical Activity Network now has over 180 partners and has created a number of projects and pledges around getting people more physically active.

Lee Silk, 22, from Reading, will carry the Flame in Reading. Selected through the Coca-Cola Future Flames programme, Lee works with children on a daily basis encouraging them to participate in sports and use it in their literacy and numeracy lessons. He has set up a scheme where young people that have low attainment an levels in literacy an maths have the opportunity to increase their skills in these subjects through football.

James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola Northwest Europe & Nordics, said: “Today, more Coca-Cola Future Flames will help us celebrate the fifty-third day of our amazing journey, including Bethany Brewer and Lee Silk who carry the Olympic Flame in Slough and Reading. We will also get everyone to Move to the Beat tonight as we bring Young Guns to the stage in Reading.”

Sally Hancock, Director, London 2012 Partnership at Lloyds Banking Group, said: “The Olympic Torch Relay has had an incredible reception throughout its journey, and we are proud to bring the excitement of London 2012 to communities along the way. Lloyds TSB is creating as many opportunities as possible for people to get involved as the Flame passes their door today along the route between Oxford and Reading. We’re calling on everyone to cheer on their local Lloyds TSB Torchbearers – extraordinary people like Quentin “Q” Gunderson, carrying the Flame in his hometown of Reading. The Lloyds TSB Flame Followers will fuel the excitement with their unique style of performance ahead of their Flame Followers Spectacular in Reading 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."

For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office.

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 linkhttp://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.

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.

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.

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 

• Today the Relay will travel 87.05 miles
• 111 Torchbearers will carry the Flame
• Evening celebration to take place at the Madjeski Stadium, Reading
• Images from today can be downloaded here

Olympic Flame Visits Bletchley Park

Day 52: Olympic Flame to Visit Bletchley Park and Blenheim Palace During Its Journey from Luton to Oxford

On Monday 9th July, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 112.32 miles through 15 communities on its journey from Luton to Oxford.

(PRWEB) July 09, 2012

On Monday 9th July, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 112.32 miles through 15 communities on its journey from Luton to Oxford. 

• Today the Relay will travel 112.32 miles
• 133 Torchbearers will carry the Flame
• Evening celebration to take place in South Park, Oxford
• Images from today can be downloaded here

The Relay will travel through the following communities: Luton, Dunstable, Milton Keynes, Bletchley, Buckingham, Winslow, Whitchurch, Aylesbury, Stoke Mandeville, Waddesdon, Bicester, Kirtlington, Woodstock, Kidlington and Oxford.

Highlights for today include:

6.36am – Lewis Hamilton is set to carry the Olympic Flame as the Torch Relay sets off from St Georges Square in Luton. Lewis is one of fastest men on four wheels and has become one of Britain's most iconic drivers in Formula One's history. He became World Champion in 2008, his second year in Formula One.

9.18am – Jessica Stalley, 16, from Bedford, will carry the Flame into Bletchley Park and in front of the house she will hand the Flame to Hazel Staten, 57, from Milton Keynes.

Jessica was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign for the way that she coped with having an operation to straighten her spine and her aspirations to compete in the Paralympics.

Hazel was selected through the Lloyds TSB campaign for the way she fought and won the battle against leukaemia with a life saving bone marrow transplant from her brother.

12.43pm – Gemma Collis, 17, from Aylesbury, will carry the Flame at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Aylesbury. In the centre of the stadium she will hand the Flame to Ian Estick, 44, from Milton Keynes, who will then carry the Flame out of the stadium.

Gemma was nominated by Sport England for her courage and determination in coping with a condition called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD). She volunteers at a range of events from school festivals to the UK School Games and World Wheelchair Basketball Championships. She has taken up Wheelchair Basketball and has been selected to play for the U25 Welsh Wheelchair Basketball Team.

Ian was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination for the work that he does with his charitable trust that he set up following the sudden death of his 23-month old son, Daniel.

3.44pm - On the approach to Blenheim Palace, Roland Read, 61, from Wheatley will pass the Flame to Graham Warland, 64, from Banbury with the Grand Bridge in the background.

Roland has run a Karate club for more than 30 years and was nominated through the LOCOG campaign.

Graham’s passion is canoeing and he competes regularly in flatwater racing competitions. He was nominated through the Lloyds TSB campaign for his success in the sport and his work managing the Banbury & District Canoe Club.

3.57pm – Juliet Sparrow, 18, from Blakesley, will carry the Flame to the front of Blenheim Palace. On the steps she will hand the Flame to Patricia Pearce, 67, from Great Missenden.

Juliet was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign for her courage and determination to overcome her broken back, which happened while she was trekking in Costa Rica to raise money for charity.

Patricia was nominated by British Airways for her work as cofounder of the children’s charity, Dreamflight, which works with seriously ill and disabled children. Patricia works tirelessly to inspire fundraisers and spread the word about the charity

6.50pm – Malcolm Fretter, 67, from Wantage who was selected through the Coca-Cola campaign for his teaching and voluntary work will carry the Olympic Flame on to the stage at the Evening Celebration.

The evening celebration will take place in South Park, Oxford.

The evening celebration event begins at 5pm and 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 Oxford City Council.

Young Guns will perform at the Evening Celebration. A dance troupe will also provide a unique fusion of street performance, theatre and sport and there will also be a performance from dance act Twist and Pulse. There will also be performances by local acts.

Towards the end of the two-hour show, the last Torchbearer of the day – Malcolm Fretter - 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:

Nominated through LOCOG’s public nomination campaign - Rebekah Wagnell, 16, from Milton Keynes, will carry the flame in Aylesbury. Rebekah is a total inspiration, born with chronic renal failure and battling poor health throughout her childhood, at times desperately ill, she always had hope that she would be better and was a real encouragement to everyone who visited her and even on the really rough days always had a cheeky smile for everyone. When she was 9 she markedly deteriorated and, a year later in 2006, she received a kidney transplant from her Dad. That was 5 years ago. Last week she came back from the 18th World Transplant Games with 3 silver and 2 gold medals in the swimming events.

Gail Emms, 34, from Hitchins, will carry the Flame in Milton Keynes. Badminton Olympic silver medallist Gail Emms, selected by Lloyds TSB because of her contribution to her sport and inspiring young athletes through his support of Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week.

Nominated through LOCOG’s public nomination campaign - Neil Heslop (OBE), 47, from Beaconsfield, will carry the Flame in Aylesbury. Neil was a very talented rugby player at a young age however in his early teens he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and lost a substantial amount of his field of vision. In the first year of his degree at Newcastle University he completely lost his sight. Undeterred he took 6 months out to learn Braille and returned to University to complete his law degree. He then pursued a career in telecoms after leaving university and in 1991 undertook an intensive one year MBA at Cranfield which had never been done before by someone who was blind. In 1992 he founded a national charity Blind in Business to help blind youngsters into employment. The charity has raised several million pounds since its inception and each year now helps more than 100 blind graduates into jobs and works with many schools for the blind in the UK in raising employment expectations. In 2002 Neil was awarded an OBE for his services to charity and to telecoms.

James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola Northwest Europe & Nordics, said: “Today, more Coca-Cola Future Flames will help us celebrate the fifty-second day of our amazing journey, including Richard Bazeley and Marc Pulley who carry the Olympic Flame in Aylesbury. We will also get everyone to Move to the Beat tonight as we bring Young Guns to the stage in Oxford.”

Sally Hancock, Director, London 2012 Partnership at Lloyds Banking Group, said: “We are really looking forward to continuing the Flame’s journey between Luton and Oxford and bringing the excitement of London 2012 to communities along the route. Lloyds TSB is proud to be 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 Torchbearers – extraordinary people like Sasha Harvey and Dawn Oliver, running in Dunstable and Aylesbury. The Lloyds TSB Flame Followers will also light up the route ahead of the Flame, before their Flame Followers Spectacular performance in Oxford’s South Park 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."

For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office.

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 linkhttp://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.

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.

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.

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

Oscar Pistorius will make history

"Blade Runner" to Compete at London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games

Oscar Pistorius will make history by becoming only the sixth athlete ever to compete at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

(PRWEB) July 04, 2012

Oscar Pistorius will make history by becoming only the sixth athlete ever to compete at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The 25-year-old has been chosen for the Olympic individual 400m and 4x400m relay team before defending his T44 100m, 200m and 400m titles at the Paralympic Games, becoming the first man ever to compete in both Games in a summer.

Pistorius' individual 400m place had looked doomed after he missed his final opportunity to clock a sub-45.3second time - the Olympic 'A' standard time - at the African Championships in Benin last week.

However, the South African Sport Confederations and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) overlooked its selection policy by naming Pistorius in its London 2012 squad on Wednesday.

"Today is truly one of the proudest days of my life," Pistorius said in a statement.

"To have been selected to represent Team South Africa at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the individual 400m and the 4x400m relay is a real honour and I am so pleased that years of hard work, determination and sacrifice have all come together.

"I have run two Olympic ‘A’ standard times over the past 12 months and with the time I ran at the African Championships last week I know my speed and fitness are constantly improving so that I will peak in time for the Olympics."

Pistorius helped South Africa to 4x400m silver at the World Championships in Daegu last year, although he did not take part in the final.

The South African is known as "the fastest man on no legs" and competes with the aid of prosthetic running blades, hence his other moniker ‘Blade Runner’.

Pistorius was born without fibulas, one of the bones that runs from the knee to the ankle, and had both legs amputated below the knee when he was just 11 months old.

"Today is really one of the happiest days of my life! Will be in @London2012 for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games!” he tweeted.

“Thank you to everyone that has made me the athlete I am! God, family and friends, my competitors and supporters! You have all had a hand!” 

• A comprehensive guide to classification in athletics is available on the IPC's website
• For all your latest news ahead of the 2012 Paralympics, follow @C4Paralympics on Twitter and like the C4Paralympics Facebook page

London Olympic Flame Visits Ness Point

Day 48: Olympic Flame to Visit Ness Point and Southwold Beach Huts on Its Journey From Norwich to Ipswich

Today 115 Torchbearers will carry the Flame, including Paralympian Giles Long and Olympian Adrian Moorhouse.

(PRWEB) July 05, 2012

Today 115 Torchbearers will carry the Flame, including Paralympian Giles Long and Olympian Adrian Moorhouse.

On Thursday 5 July, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 119.65 miles through 17 communities on its journey from Norwich to Ipswich. 

• Evening celebration to take place at Christchurch Park, Ipswich
• Images from today can be downloaded here

The Flame will be carried through the following communities: Norwich, Acle, Filby, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Wrentham, Reydon, Southwold, Kelsale, Saxmundham, Aldeburgh, Wickham Market, Ufford, Melton, Woodbridge, Felixstowe, Ipswich.

Highlights for today include:

06.10am – at Hethersett High School & Science College a special photo opportunity will take place with the Flame in a lantern held by the Head Boy and Head Girl of the school to mark Hethersett’s fantastic involvement in London 2012 Games projects over the years.

6.50am – The first Torchbearer of the day will be Paralympian Giles Long who has won twenty major Championship medals including Paralympic, European, and World Championship Gold medals. His greatest achievement was winning the Paralympic 100 metre Butterfly Gold medal, in October 2000, in a World Record time. Giles, nominated through the Coca-Cola campaign, will light the Torch from the lantern in front of the battlements and he’ll carry the flame through Norwich Castle.

10.29am – Gillian Smith, 54 from Watton is an active volunteer for the East Anglian Air Ambulance and will carry the flame past Ness Point which is the most easterly point in the UK. Gillian who was nominated by her husband through the Samsung campaign will pass the flame on to Karen Murray, 33, from Aylsham who has set up the charity Hana's Gift for parents who suffer the heart breaking loss of a baby. Karen was also nominated by her husband through the Samsung campaign.

11.40am – Karen Booth, 47, from Lowestoft has inspired over 2,500 young people to be part of their community and take active roles in supporting others. Karen also runs two youth centres and is instrumental in supporting five others. Karen was nominated through the LOCOG campaign and will carry the flame around the Beach Huts at Southwold.

2.14pm – On Aldeburgh seafront the Flame will be carried by Sarah Corbett, 41, from Tunstall who was nominated through the Lloyds TSB campaign for setting up a youth choir and non-profit community theatre group for young people in Suffolk. Sarah will take part in a special photo opportunity with members of the Aldeburgh World Orchestra, who together with players from the UK and across the world who will perform two fanfares written by Aldeburgh Young Musicians William Harmer and Alex Woolf. The fanfares begin at 2pm on Aldeburgh Seafront.

5.49pm – A speed boat will depart from Fox’s Marina in Felixstowe on the River Orwell for Ipswich Marina. The Torchbearer will be Shane Hull, 55, from Norwich who was nominated through the Samsung campaign for his work as the Chair of the Hethersett Olympic Events Committee, a working group which Shane set up to galvanise the local community into engaging with the Olympic Games.

6.50pm – The last Torchbearer of the day Nicola Hunt, 27, from Ipswich who was nominated by Ipswich Borough Council through the LOCOG campaign will carry the Flame into the Evening Celebration in Christchurch Park, Ipswich. Nicola is a talented archer and won her first individual international medal at the European Indoor Championships in 2008. In 2009 Nicky became the first Britain to win a World Cup stage and ended the World Cup Series ranked 1st. She won Individual and Team gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi - England's first archery gold medal at the Commonwealth Games for 28 years.

The evening celebration will take place in Christchurch Park in Ipswich. It 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 Ipswich Borough Council. The show will start at 5pm.

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 performances by the Aldeburgh Young Musicians, Group A and DanceEast.

Towards the end of the show, the last Torchbearer of the day – Nicola Hunt - will light a celebration cauldron on stage at the event which will enable the Olympic Flame to be seen by the audience.

James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola Northwest Europe & Nordics, said: ‘Today, more Coca-Cola Future Flames will help us celebrate the forty-eighth day of our amazing journey, including Lisa Marshall and James Shiplee who carry the Olympic Flame in Lowestoft and Wrentham. We will also get everyone to Move to the Beat tonight as we bring Morning Parade to the stage in Ipswich.’

Sally Hancock, Director, London 2012 Partnership at Lloyds TSB, said: ‘We are looking forward to the Olympic Torch Relay continuing its journey across East Anglia and bringing the excitement of London 2012 to the heart of communities along the way. Lloyds TSB is creating as many opportunities as possible for people to get involved as the Relay passes their door.

‘We’re calling on everyone to cheer on their local Lloyds TSB Torchbearers – extraordinary people like Betty Brown and Robert Pattison, carrying the Flame in Filby and Ipswich. 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 Ipswich 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.’

Torchbearer highlights:

Adrian Moorhouse, during the late 1980’s Adrian dominated world swimming, holding his place as World No.1 for six consecutive years. He cemented himself as a figurehead of British and International, swimming when he won the gold medal for 100m breaststroke at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. Throughout his career it was his epic rivalry with the Canadian Victor Davis which captivated audiences worldwide. He retired from swimming in 1992 at the age of 28 and wanted to embrace a career in business to ensure he utilised the skills and experience learnt from his athletic career. So, in 1995 Adrian co-founded Lane4, a leading performance development consultancy with a unique heritage in elite sport and business performance.

Constance Adam, 84, from Norwich who was nominated through LOCOG’s campaign by Norwich City Council, started fencing when she retired at 60. Connie is the second Torchbearer of the day and will carry the Flame in Norwich in recognition for her success at fencing – she has won over 100 medals since taking up the sport. Last year Connie won a bronze at the World Veteran Fencing Championships (where all of her competitors were at least 13 years younger than her) and has proved that age is no barrier to trying something new and being an inspiration to others.

Eddie Graver, is an 18-year-old shooter and Lloyds TSB Local Hero from Beccles. He was selected by Lloyds TSB because of his commitment and dedication to his sport of shooting and inspiring his peers through encouraging new and inexperienced shooters in his community. Eddie, who is carrying the Flame in Lowestoft, has achieved a bronze team medal, a silver team medal and a silver individual medal whilst representing England.

James Shiplee, 20, from Bungay is carrying the Flame in Wrentham having been selected through the Coca-Cola Future Flames programme for being a dedicated football coach, being selected as one of the top 100 Young Football Leaders in the country and his ambassadorial work for Suffolk FA.

Matthew Sandbach, 31, from Bury St Edmunds is carrying the Flame in Melton. Matthew was nominated through the Samsung campaign for his dedication and strong service record as Apache helicopter pilot in the Army Air Corps.

For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office.

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 linkhttp://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.

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.

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.

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

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 the East of England 1153 people have signed up as Local Leaders, like Angela Bishop from Acle Village, Norfolk. Angela has helped organise a whole day of activities to greet the Torch Relay as it passes through Acle at 8:06am. This includes ringing the church bells, music from local bands and singing and dancing from local schoolchildren. There will be bunting and homemade banners while people living along the route have decorated their gardens with red, white and blue floral displays.
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 http://www.london2012.com/localleaders
angelabishopworkshops(at)btinternet(dot)com

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.