What do you think of it? Who has managed to see it pass through? Anyone take part or know anyone who has.
Today it went through my home town (Dorchester) and came close enough to walk to the route. Saw one handover then managed to follow and keep up with it enough to see the next one. Tried to keep up with it to the next one (last before transit to next village), but had run out of puff and lost it! Great experience. Bit wet though.
One criticism i have of it is the choice of bearers. They are not always local to the area the torch is passing through. I think only half of the bearers in Dorchester were from Dorchester itself. Some other local villages/areas didnt have anyone from that place carrying it through. Otherwise an amazing organisational feat.
I was at work when it went through my town, but as not a single bearer was local I really didn't care!
I saw it go through Antrim last month and it clearly meant a lot to all the people who had turned up to watch it. It's coming to Guildford next week but to a ticket only event. Loads of people have missed out on a ticket and are really annoyed which is just like my attempt to get tickets to the real thing!
The streets were packed when it came to Chesterfield, but we do not get much excitment up here!!
The torch bearrers were all local people, some had disabilities or problems which they had overcome or did things to help other people. That is why they had been nominated.
I wasn't too impressed by the advertising from coca cola etc though ???
Two of my friends ran yesterday, dead chuffed for the pair of them and really envious. Pretty much a once in a lifetime opportunity - wish I'd had the chance.
Quote from: OllieC on July 12, 2012, 18:06:13
It's coming to Guildford next week but to a ticket only event. Loads of people have missed out on a ticket and are really annoyed which is just like my attempt to get tickets to the real thing!
It's only the celebration in stoke park that is a ticket event, you can still watch the relay from the cathedral into town.
The first I heard that the celebration in stoke park was a ticket only event was when I heard all the tickets had gone :-\
Regarding local folks carrying the torch.
I am not sure it would be the same over there but here folks volunteered for their area and some were by invitation.I guess if an area had few volunteers they would have to fill the gaps with people from other areas.
Good luck with your games by the way, we had the winter ones and the mood here was phenomenal. Our whole communiuty came to life to support the games, the atheletes and the volunteers, it was a super feeling. Really uplifting.
It was super to see how many folks were wearing red and white for Canada, flags on car ariels etc
XX Jeannine
My daughter wholive in Wales had the torch go past her front door.
It came through our small town we had huge crowds early on Sunday morning 8 July. I volunteered as a steward and we had a training day on crowd control; antiterrorism etc. So I'm on the video as the torch passed with high viz best and radio. Most of the bearer's were not local but our local secondary schools music teacher was one and she was brilliant.
Everyone was very excited and the whole thing was great, I really enjoyed my part in it.
Plus my husband got us tickets though not all he applied for only for two out of four of us. My boys are missing out but they're young and if they really want to they'll travel to get to another
Quote from: harrys dad on July 13, 2012, 07:03:00
My daughter who lives in Wales had the torch go past her front door.
(http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/s480x480/534989_4281665410302_352059377_n.jpg)
Grandson got hold of it for a quick snapshot.
That's a great photo - hope I can match it tomorrow!
You did not volunteer you had to be nominated, I suppose if no one from an area bothered to nominated anyone, then someone from somewhere else got to do it.
It passed through where my grandaughter lives about 50 mins ago. HHMBO dropped her off this afternoon to watch the torch. We're both not interested. Granddaughter had her pic taken with torch a few weeks ago, that's all we want. Should have spent the money on the NHS. After all the farces in the last week or so, roads closed because of crumbling, security firm cocked up, etc. Feel there is something bad going wrong. Bumped into a French family who were over here caravanning then of to the games - wished them the best of luck. Think there daughter was involved somewhere along the lines - lost in translation. Have a good evening everyone.
when it was our way last weekend we had all just got over colds and it was cold and wet and miserable so we did not bother and i did feel we might have missed out till i heard reports back that it was so crowded and the runners so fast you got to see it for seconds if you were lucky. So i don't feel i have lost anything in fact we have gained a week of being without colds :)
I don't think the bearers i saw live were locals although one was known in/from the area which was fair enough. Could think of plenty of well known locals who could have done it and it would have had meaning for local people but for some reason they were not chosen. The fact that iam not the most athletic person but was still able to keep up with the torch for one leg, i think i could have done it for the bit closest to my home, although most people would probably have looked at me and thought "who the heck is he?" ;D ;D ;D
The skinny lad we saw carrying the torch has been into local schools with it and the kids have had a chance to hold and be photoed with it.
Other local events since have had a torch or two knocking around as well.
None of this is official Olympics, but there has been a nice little legacy from it going through Lichfield. Don't know the cost of it though, the council had to smooth out speed bumps on the route the night before and then reinstate them again afterwards which will all have cost materials and been done on overtime for a start.
Just been down the road to see it & very glad I did even though the Olympics leave me cold (all that running & jumping & stuff to energetic by far!), managed to persuade my daughter to take my Grandson out of school for the event, & his little friend came too.
(http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu135/PoppyMole/Olympic%20Torch/P1040308.jpg)
(http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu135/PoppyMole/Olympic%20Torch/P1040321.jpg)