Olympic torch to light up Yorkshire landmarks

Throughout Britain local authorities and tourist boards have been battling to get on the Olympic torch relay route and sources have told the Yorkshire Post that Games organisers initially set a three-day limit for any region outside London.

The six-and-a-half days it will travel through Yorkshire is longer than any region outside of the capital and will mean around 95 per cent of the population will live within 10 miles of the route.

The torch will travel through 78 towns and villages, travelling past the region’s famous landmarks such as York Minster and Harewood House near Leeds, along Scarborough seafront and across the Humber Bridge.

There will be major parties for the overnight stops in Hull, York, Leeds, Sheffield and Cleethorpes while the North Yorkshire Moors Railway will carry the torch from Whitby to Pickering.

Philip Benham, general manager of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, said: “It will be a special event.

“We are not sure yet who will be on the train with the torch, but we are very keen for this to be a community event. We want as many people as possible to celebrate this.

“We are absolutely delighted this has been made possible. The Olympics is such a huge event it is important regions outside of the South East feel part of it.”

The torch will be carried through every English Heritage site in the region and, although the full details of the celebration events and festivals are yet to be finalised, some councils have already revealed what they are hoping to put on.

Peter Simpson, chief executive of both Richmondshire and Hambleton district councils, said: “We are going to try and support the relay with a programme of events in each market town, focusing on participation in sport and recreation.

“We will also feature the armed forces, particularly the RAF and the Army given the bases at Leeming and Catterick.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for communities to see this.”

In Hull, a festival of music and sport is being planned, with stages likely to be set up in West Park.

The council’s Olympics officer, Mitch Upfold, said it was a real coup for the city to not only be on the route, but also the first Yorkshire overnight stop.

“We’ve been working towards this for more than 18 months and we are delighted the torch relay is coming to Hull,” he said. “Our bid focused on the heritage and history and the legacy the games can provide.

“The torch will travel across the Humber Bridge and there will be city-wide events to celebrate.”

In Leeds the torch will be carried across the city on Sunday, June 24 ,travelling through Headingley, Harehills and Richmond Hill before a major overnight celebration event is held. Details of the event are being finalised and will be announced shortly but it is expected it will give thousands of people the chance to see the flame arrive with a cauldron being lit as the finale.

The following day the torch resumes its journey through Leeds city centre, including passing through Victoria Arcade before a route through Hunslet, Beeston and Morley leads it out of the city.

Lord Coe, chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, said: “We are thrilled to confirm that Leeds will act as a host location for the Olympic Flame, extending an invitation to people in the city to welcome the Olympic Torch Relay during its journey around the UK.

“This is the UK’s moment to shine and I want to encourage people to start planning how they can be part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and show their support for the inspirational torchbearers chosen to carry the Olympic Flame as we count down to the start of the Olympic Games.”

A new project launched by LOCOG today is an invitation to encourage people of all ages to get involved in celebrations around the torch relay. For more information on the “Local Leaders” initiative visit www.london2012.com/localleaders.

Also launched today is the “Get Set for the Olympic Torch Relay” education programme which will provide schools with resources aimed at teachers working with three- to 16-year-olds to help learning around history of Olympic torch relays, the design of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay and the torch itself.

In Leeds, more than 130 schools are already engaged in Olympics project “Spirit Alive”, which gives pupils the chance to lead, manage and deliver a mini-Olympic experience in their schools.

8,000 bearers to cover UK route

The relay will begin at Land’s End in Cornwall on the morning of Saturday, May 19 after the flame arrives from Greece.

It will then embark on a 70-day tour of the UK, travelling 8,000 miles, 12-hours-a-day with 66 overnight stops en route to London on July 27 where it will light the cauldron in the Olympic Stadium to officially declare the start of the event.

In total the Olympic Flame will be carried across the UK by 8,000 torchbearers. In December, successful nominees will be contacted with a conditional offer and final torchbearer places will be confirmed from February onwards.