Glyn Davies, Conservative Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire, has welcomed yesterday’s news that the Olympic torch will be carried through key towns in Mid Wales.
Over 95% of the population will be within 10 miles of the Olympic Flame
Over 1,000 communities will have Torchbearers carrying the Olympic Flame through their streets
Glyn Davies MP encourages residents of Montgomeryshire to start planning how they will welcome the Olympic Flame
The Olympic Torch Relay will be visiting Sarnau, Machynlleth, Llanymynech, Four Crosses and Welshpool on Monday 28 and Wednesday 30 May 2012
The announcement of the 1,018 villages, towns and cities on the route means LOCOG has realised the aspiration of taking the Olympic Flame to within an hour’s journey time of 95% of the population. In fact, over 95% of the population will be within just 10 miles of the Olympic Flame next summer. The street by street detail of the route will be confirmed next year.
Travelling by different methods of transport including horseback, bicycle, tram and steam-train, the Olympic Torch Relay will also include exciting moments with extreme heights, high speeds and breath-taking spectacles. Every county in England and every Local Authority area in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will host the Olympic Flame, with welcomes reaching as far north as Lerwick in Scotland to St Helier in the south, Lowestoft in the east and Enniskillen in the west. Well known landmarks including Snowdon, Stormont, Loch Ness and Stonehenge will be visited by the Olympic Flame. 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.
A list of the UK wide host communities is available to download from here and Olympic Torch Relay images are available here. To find the nearest community through which the Olympic Flame will be carried a full interactive map is available: www.london2012.com/olympictorchrelaymap
Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: ‘I’m delighted that the Olympic Torch Relay will take the 2012 Games at almost every corner of the UK and that we have achieved our ambition to take the Flame to within an hour’s journey of 95% of the population. Now everyone is invited to plan their welcome and find out where they can go to be part of this historic occasion. The Olympic Games are coming to you as the Olympic Flame gives our people and places their moment to shine.’
Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, said: ‘When the Olympic Flame arrives here in the UK on 18 May next year it will mark the final countdown to the greatest sporting event the country will host in our lifetime. The Olympic Torch Relay will be an amazing opportunity for people to see the Olympic Flame in their own towns and communities. The Flame’s journey is steeped in the rich history of the Olympic Games, travelling from Athens then right around the UK. I encourage everyone to get out and take part in the excitement of the Torch Relay as it comes through their town.’
Glyn Davies MP said ‘I am delighted that we will play our part in this historic occasion and this will be a fantastic opportunity for the whole community to come together to celebrate the countdown to the Olympic Games. I am urging everyone in Montgomeryshire to start thinking about the ways that we welcome the Olympic Flame in a truly local way. We will be inviting neighbouring communities to join us in these celebrations and to cheer on the inspirational individuals from our area that will carry the Olympic Torch through our streets.’
The Olympic Flame will be lit in Olympia in Greece in May 2012. British Airways is a Supporter of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay and the Olympic Flame will arrive into the UK from Greece on 18 May 2012 on board one of its aircraft.
The 70 day Olympic Torch Relay, presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung, will start at Land’s End, Cornwall on the morning of 19 May 2012. On leaving Land’s End, the Olympic Flame will travel an estimated 8,000 miles around the UK giving thousands of communities and individuals their moment to shine as the Olympic Flame comes to a place near them.
The Olympic Flame will be carried across the UK by 8,000 inspirational Torchbearers each of whom will have a story of personal achievement and/or contribution to the local community. In December this year, successful nominees will be contacted with a conditional offer and final Torchbearer places will start to be confirmed from February 2012 onwards.
On the final day of the Olympic Torch Relay, it is LOCOG’s intention that the Olympic Flame will travel down the River Thames as it makes its way to the Olympic Stadium on 27 July 2012 for the lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony, signifying the official start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay is presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung.
