Torch relay: Leeds
Published on: 7th November 2011
The Leeds communities to be given the honour of welcoming the Olympic Torch on its nationwide journey next summer have been announced today.
The iconic symbol will be travelling through Leeds in late June as it makes its way to London for the start of the world’s biggest sporting event in the capital in July.
The Leeds communities announced as having the torch escorted through and carried by chosen torchbearers begin with Boston Spa, Wetherby and Harewood in the north-east of the city on Tuesday 19 June.
The torch then makes its journey across the city on Sunday 24 June 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 anticipated 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.
Leeds City Council executive member for Leeds Councillor Adam Ogilvie said:
“This is another really exciting day as we announce more details of the Olympic Torch visiting Leeds, which is going to be a fantastic and historic event for our city.
“Aside from the Torchbearers who will have the once-in-a-lifetime thrill of actually carrying the flame, we want this to be a celebration for the whole of Leeds to get involved in, not just for those communities announced today. Everyone will have a chance to see the flame, and we look forward to getting as many people as possible involved to make sure it is a never-to-be-forgotten experience.”
There will be a host of opportunities for schools, community groups and other organisations to get actively involved with the Torch Relay in Leeds and in the wider Leeds Gold programme throughout 2012. For more information contact jon.price@leeds.gov.uk.
The Olympic Torch Relay is being managed by The London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) along with partners Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung. The relay will begin at Land’s End in Cornwall on the morning of Saturday 19 May 2012 after the flame arrives in the UK from Greece the previous day.
The flame will then embark on a 70-day tour of the UK, travelling 8,000 miles 12 hours a day with 66 overnight stops around the country en route to London on July 27 2012 where it will light the cauldron in the Olympic Stadium to officially declare the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
In total 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.
Chair of LOCOG Sebastian Coe 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 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 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 resource, available to all schools registered with Get Set, London 2012’s official education programme. The aim of the resource is to provide schools with cross-curricular resources aimed at teachers working with three to 16 year olds to aid learning around history of Olympic Torch Relays, the design of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay and the torch itself.
In Leeds, over 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.
For more information on Leeds and its work towards the London 2012 Olympic Games, visit www.leedsgold.co.uk
