photo courtesy itv.com
Day 7: Olympic Flame to visit Malvern and Ross-on-Wye before arriving in Wales:
• On Day 7 the Torch Relay will travel 102.13 miles
• 117 inspirational Torchbearers will carry the Flame
• Evening celebration to take place in Coopers Field, Cardiff
• Images from the day will be available to download from here throughout the day
On Friday 25 May, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel from Worcester to Cardiff. The Olympic Flame will travel 102.13 miles through 14 communities.
117 Torchbearers will carry the Flame before it arrives at the Evening Celebration in Swansea where a cauldron will be lit to mark the culmination of the day’s festivities. After the celebrations have finished, the Flame will be transferred to a lantern and it will stay in Cardiff overnight.
On Day 7 the Flame will be carried through the following communities:
Worcester, Powick, Malvern, Malvern Hills, Ross-on-Wye, Monmouth, Raglan, Abergavenny, Brynmawr, Blaenavon, Abersychan, Pontypool, Newport and Cardiff.
During the day the Olympic Flame will also visit a number of iconic landmarks including:
The Elgar statue at the start in Worcester where the Olympic Flame will be carried by Monica Martin, 71, nominated by Worcestershire County Council through the LOCOG campaign for her voluntary work over the years and, currently, with St. Richard’s Hospice.
Big Pit Coal Museum in Blaenavon, where Eleanor Coster,16 from Newport who was nominated through the LOCOG campaign for her potential as future GB cyclist and her role caring for her brother who will carry the Flame out of the crew lunch stop.
Cardiff Castle, where the Flame will be carried by Wayne Jenkins from Cardiff who was nominated via the Lloyds TSB campaign by one of his children for his many years work with Sport Wales.
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff where the Flame will be carried by rugby hero Sam Warburton who currently plays rugby for the Cardiff Blues. Sam was appointed the Wales captain for the 2011 Rugby World Cup at the age of 22 and he led his team to the semi finals. During the 2012 Six Nations Championship, Sam led his team to the Triple Crown and the Grand Slam.
Other Torchbearers during the day will include:
Lynn Davies, from Cardiff who will carry the Flame in Cardiff in recognition of his distinguished Olympic career both as an athlete and Team GB manager. He has been President of UK Athletics since 2003 and remains one of the most respected names within British sport.
Daniel Flint, 22, from London. Daniel, who will carry the Flame in Worcester, is a member of hit band You Me At Six. In July 2011 Dan sat on a regional judging panel alongside The Wanted, Dizzee Rascal and Eliza Doolittle and helped select the 1,300 inspirational Future Flames during Coca-Cola’s nomination campaign. Daniel and his band mates will be playing at the Olympic Torch Relay Finale concert in Hyde Park.
Robert Westwood, 16, from Newport has been nominated through the Lloyds TSB campaign. Robert, who will carry the Flame in Newport, was selected because of his commitment and dedication to his sport of cycling and inspiring young people in his community to take up more sport as part of National School Sport Week.
Carl Bainton, 49, from Ebbw Vale carrying the Flame in Newport. Carl, nominated through the Samsung campaign, helps improve the quality of young people’s lives within the community, continually going above and beyond. He has set up many ongoing projects promoting social inclusion, basic skills and personal development like Rock School, the GYM project, community gardens and various family events
Kelvin Perrett , 64 from Torfaen was nominated through the LOCOG campaign. Kelvin, who will carry the Flame in Monmouth, has completed 14 marathons through the years. He has been involved with Cwmbran Rugby Club as a player, supporter, running the line and is now a life member due to his passion and commitment to the club. He has been a constant pillar of the club through rain or shine and is respected by all who know him.
The evening celebration will take place at Cooper’s Field Park and 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. This celebration is one of Coca-Cola’s Special City Celebrations and they will provide entertainment from Cardiff born Kids in Glass Houses, Emeli Sande and You Me At Six. The event is ticketed and all tickets have been allocated.
The line-up also includes a dance troupe who will provide a unique fusion of street performance, theatre and sport and dance acts Twist and Pulse and Flawless.
Towards the end of the show, the last Torchbearer of the day Melanie Stephenson, 24 from Cardiff who was nominated through the Coca-Cola Future Flames programme, will light a celebration cauldron on stage at the event which will enable the Olympic Flame to be seen by the audience. Melanie was selected for her success in sport and voluntary work despite her Type 1 Diabetes.
Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: ‘The Olympic Torch Relay signifies the start of an exciting summer of sport across the UK. The Relay will last for 70 days and the Flame will carry with it the values and spirit of the Olympic Games across the UK.
‘A huge thank you to everyone in the South West and the West Midlands who gave the Olympic Flame such a magnificent welcome and who helped us start the Relay off in such style. We are looking forward to a fabulous five days in Wales, giving hundreds of inspirational people and many communities in Wales their moment to shine.’
First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, said; ‘It is good to welcome the Olympic torch to Wales as this is a fantastic opportunity for all those chosen to carry the torch to show the world the things that make Wales unique.
‘From journeying on a Ceredigion Cob and Llangollen canal boat to passing through our landmarks old and new, such as Caerphilly Castle and the Millennium Stadium, this looks set to be an exciting week for the relay and everyone involved.’
Sports Minister, Huw Lewis, said: ‘Along with many people in Wales, I am excited at the prospect of the Olympic Torch coming to our nation. Wales is ready offer the Olympic Torch an exciting journey through every one of our twenty two local authorities and past some iconic landmarks, such as, the Senedd, Snowdon and the World Heritage Sites in Blaenavon and Pontcysyllte.
‘This is a fantastic opportunity for all those involved, both young and old. Many of them have inspiring stories to tell and the relay is providing Wales with a chance to show what we have to offer. I am also delighted to see that so many communities are joining in with the torch celebrations by arranging their own events. The torch will really help to build community spirit as it passes through our towns and villages.’
The Olympic Torch Relay will also include exciting moments with extreme heights, high speeds and breath-taking spectacles and the Flame will be travelling by different methods of transport including horseback, bicycle, tram and steam-train. Every county in England and every Local Authority area in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will host the Olympic Flame, with visits reaching as far north as Lerwick in Scotland to St Helier in the south, Lowestoft in the east and Enniskillen in the west. Many thousands of people are expected to welcome the Olympic Flame along the route each day and celebrate the achievements of the Torchbearers in parks, squares and streets right around the UK.
The convoy travelling with the Flame consists of 14 core vehicles, including a pilot car, Torchbearer drop-off and pick-up shuttles, Presenting Partner vehicles, a media vehicle, a command car and security vehicles. The lead convoy, including the Presenting Partner vehicles, will provide entertainment for the crowds. The Torchbearer will follow some 5 to 7 minutes later.
A crew of approximately 350 people will be working each day of the Relay. Core teams of LOCOG staff, the Metropolitan Police Torch Security Team, Presenting Partners, host Police Forces and host Local Authorities will be working together throughout the 70 days.
James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, The Coca-Cola Company, said: ‘We are nearly a week into what is shaping up to be an incredible 70 day journey around the UK. We’re so excited to join with the crowds lining the streets to celebrate our inspirational Coca-Cola Future Flames as they carry the Olympic Flame through their local communities, for example today we have Daniel Flint from the band You Me at Six carrying the Flame in Worcester. We’re continuing to spread the magic of London 2012 across the United Kingdom, and will be getting everyone to Move to the Beat tonight as we bring Kids in Glass Houses, Emeli Sande and You Me At Six to the stage in Cardiff.’
Sally Hancock, Director, 2012 Partnership at Lloyds Banking Group, said: ‘The Olympic Torch Relay will mark the moment when every corner of the UK will start to feel the excitement of London 2012. Lloyds TSB is creating as many opportunities as possible for people to get involved as the Olympic Flame passes their front doors. We’re calling on everyone to come and line the streets to cheer on their local Lloyds TSB Torchbearers and celebrate with our troupe of performers the Flame Followers who will use a unique fusion of performance to bring the excitement of the Flame to communities.’
Mr 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 for the Worcester to Cardiff route really do demonstrate the ‘gone the extra mile’ community element that lies at the heart of our Olympic Torch Relay London 2012 campaign. We’re delighted that Carl Bainton who has contributed a huge amount to youth social inclusion in the Ebbw Vale area will be running and representing Samsung at this stage.’
