THE TORCH NOW ARRIVING: Olympic fever as Games symbol comes to Yorkshire

Glorious sunshine greeted the flame as it made its way from Hinderwell to Hull along the East Coast on the 31st day of its tour of Britain and Ireland.

In the morning it visited Lythe and Sandsend on its way to Whitby, where torchbearer Kelly Williams was cheered on by a gang of pirates as she ran with it.

Town mayor John Freeman said there had been a marvellous turnout and remarked that the weather could not have been better.

Asked whether he had expected such a big show of support, he said: “It’s come as quite a surprise because it’s been fairly low-key in Whitby up to now.

“Just the sheer rolling effect of seeing the Torch come through the town has generated more and more excitement.”

In Whitby, the flame boarded a North Yorkshire Moors Railway train to Pickering, where it continued on to Scarborough.

From there, it was carried to Bridlington and Beverley in the afternoon, arriving in Hull at around 5pm ahead of a family-friendly festival celebrating the Torch’s visit held in Hull’s West Park.

East Riding Council leader Stephen Parnaby said: “The council has been planning for these two days for almost a year and we are delighted that so many people came out and joined in the celebrations for this once-in-a-lifetime event.”

Tomorrow the Torch will continue its tour of the East Riding and North Yorkshire on its way from Hull to York, and the relay will be lent a Royal touch as Princess Beatrice meets torchbearers at Harewood House.