Olympic flame progress thread.

[onyx39]

Get to see it in Basingstoke next Wednesday for the 3rd time.Echo the comments above about it being a fantastic atmosphere.

[crofty1984]

Norfolkit said:

Went to the Torch Relay in Norwich last night, awesome. The best atmosphere I've ever enjoyed anywhere in a very long time. Weather was fantastic, hot, humid and sunny (no idea where that came from), city was absolutely packed with flag waving cheering, smiley people (the proper flag, not the stuff handed out by the 'partners'). Even manged to find somewhere to stand on the final leg of the night just before it turned into the park for the celebration. It's a narrow road so only room for the crowd and the torch bearer and her (in this case) security escort, no room for the media and sponsor buses which just made it better. Fantastic night, go if you get the chance.

Me too, unfortunately I didn't know the route, I hadn't planned to see it, so ended up in the park with a billion other people and only saw it bobbing along the top of a hedge (right where I'd been stood 10 mins previously!!!).
Still, it's nice to be a part of something.

[FunkyNige]

Went to see it in a small Norfolk village (Rudham) yesterday, quite surprised at the turnout!

(I'm in the pic)

Nice to see the sponsor bits were a few minutes ahead of the torch, handing out flags, working the crowd, giving updates as to who it would be, how far away it was, etc.

[37Flipper]

I went to see the torch in Kings Lynn yesterday and it was a great turnout. I got to witness it from a very privileged position as my wife was one of the torch bearers. She was picked because is a volunteer visitor with the meningitis trust and helps people to cope with the after effects of the disease.

She wouldn't have been able to carry it alone, so...erm I got to walk along with the torch too, as you can see it was a real family outing as we had Yancey, Helens assistance dog too!!!



If you want to read her nomination, you can read it here...

Thanks

Flipper

[carreauchompeur]

Lovely photo. Hope you've kept the torch too!

[Dixie68]

37Flipper said:

I went to see the torch in Kings Lynn yesterday and it was a great turnout. I got to witness it from a very privileged position as my wife was one of the torch bearers. She was picked because is a volunteer visitor with the meningitis trust and helps people to cope with the after effects of the disease.

She wouldn't have been able to carry it alone, so...erm I got to walk along with the torch too, as you can see it was a real family outing as we had Yancey, Helens assistance dog too!!!



If you want to read her nomination, you can read it here...

Thanks

Flipper

Superb!
ETA: even the dog looks like it's smiling

[scenario8]

37Flipper said:

I went to see the torch in Kings Lynn yesterday and it was a great turnout. I got to witness it from a very privileged position as my wife was one of the torch bearers. She was picked because is a volunteer visitor with the meningitis trust and helps people to cope with the after effects of the disease.

She wouldn't have been able to carry it alone, so...erm I got to walk along with the torch too, as you can see it was a real family outing as we had Yancey, Helens assistance dog too!!!


Thanks

Flipper

Fantastic. Glad you had such a (well deserved) good time.

There's far too much negatitivy in this country - and a surplus of it around the Olympics. It's good to see deserving members of the community recognised. Do you intend to buy your torch? They're surprisingly weighty and impressive beasts aren't they? Sadly I wasn't chosen but had a sneak preview in a hush hush kind of way last summer.

I can't wait for the 23rd when it visits my neck of Sarf Laandin.

[Asterix]

Top work

[carreauchompeur]

I think the Olympic Torch Relay is fantastic. Lovely to see crowds of families doing something positive.

[37Flipper]

scenario8 said:

Fantastic. Glad you had such a (well deserved) good time.

There's far too much negatitivy in this country - and a surplus of it around the Olympics. It's good to see deserving members of the community recognised. Do you intend to buy your torch? They're surprisingly weighty and impressive beasts aren't they? Sadly I wasn't chosen but had a sneak preview in a hush hush kind of way last summer.

I can't wait for the 23rd when it visits my neck of Sarf Laandin.

Yes, we did buy the torch, we haven't a clue what to do with it yet as its approx 800mm long!!! It's a bugger they decommissioned it, it would have great to light the woodburner with it!! It was heavier than I was expecting, it's a shame that it is so top heavy, the prosthetic hand she was using kept swivelling round when she tried to hold it so that's why she had some one to support it for her.

I just noticed she made the final cut for the ' Day 47' video. (about 30 seconds in.)

Thanks

Flipper

[scenario8]

37Flipper said:

Yes, we did buy the torch, we haven't a clue what to do with it yet as its approx 800mm long!!! It's a bugger they decommissioned it, it would have great to light the woodburner with it!! It was heavier than I was expecting'

Thanks

Flipper

I'd imagine it wouldn't take a brain surgeon to figure out how to get it back ih service once more. (But don't ask me).

[37Flipper]

scenario8 said:

37Flipper said:

Yes, we did buy the torch, we haven't a clue what to do with it yet as its approx 800mm long!!! It's a bugger they decommissioned it, it would have great to light the woodburner with it!! It was heavier than I was expecting'

Thanks

Flipper

I'd imagine it wouldn't take a brain surgeon to figure out how to get it back ih service once more. (But don't ask me).

I watched very carefully when they did it. They took the gas canister out and pulled some kind of insert from where it attached. (I think getting hold of the gas canister might be the hardest thing...)

[David87]

Fresh from my iPhone, here is the Torch this morning in Essex, travelling through Heybridge on its way to Maldon:

Since this is PH, here are some BMWs:

[vixen1700]

Just hope we have better weather when it reaches us tomorrow, this rain is just so fking depressing.

[sjc]

Watched it go through Hatfield Peverel this morning,not loads to see but well worth being a small part of U.K history, and reminding the kids and ourselves what sport should always be about.

[paulrockliffe]

Just seen this thread, surprised there's been no mention of this:

www.endurancelife.com/realrelay

The cynic in me suspects there's a media black-out on this because it 'competes' with the official relay. Be interesting to know if anyone had heard about this through the media?

[Nick Grant]

Asterix said:

As you may, or may not, know I'm not based in the UK so I can't judge the mood really.

I was thinking last night that actually hosting the Olympics is a pretty big deal - it is arguably the worlds largest event. Now that its drawing closer, has the country, regardless of your personal view, begun to embrace it?

It seems to me that the torch relays are quite a success.

Despite what the media and many cynical internet posters will have you believe I think there are a great deal of people who are proud and excited that we are hosting the Olympics. In the same way that people got behind the Jubilee

[rover 623gsi]

paulrockliffe said:

Just seen this thread, surprised there's been no mention of this:

www.endurancelife.com/realrelay

The cynic in me suspects there's a media black-out on this because it 'competes' with the official relay. Be interesting to know if anyone had heard about this through the media?

Ok – so I’ve had a look at the link. As a result, I suspect the reason why there’s been no mention of it on this thread, or indeed the mainstream media, is because there is nothing real about. The real relay is the official one. The other event taking place appears to have been organised by a charity who had the clever idea of piggybacking the Olympic Torch Relay. If they manage to raise some money then fair play but I don’t see anything particularly special about it.

[Norfolkit]

Nick Grant said:

Asterix said:

As you may, or may not, know I'm not based in the UK so I can't judge the mood really.

I was thinking last night that actually hosting the Olympics is a pretty big deal - it is arguably the worlds largest event. Now that its drawing closer, has the country, regardless of your personal view, begun to embrace it?

It seems to me that the torch relays are quite a success.

Despite what the media and many cynical internet posters will have you believe I think there are a great deal of people who are proud and excited that we are hosting the Olympics. In the same way that people got behind the Jubilee

The professionally miserable, permanently offended, whingeing, hand wringers who are everywhere professing to speak for "the people" have talked down the Torch Relay from day 1.
All I've got to say to them is look at the pictures, look at the size of the crowds (around 5 million so far) and then look at the faces of the people, almost everyone of them smiling.

Reminds me of the saying "no-one will remember what you did, no-one will remember what you said but everyone will remember how you made them feel". The torch relay has made people feel good, made them feel happy. If I remember nothing else from London 2012 I'll remember standing in the sunshine, in Norwich, in a huge, happy, smiling, laughing, excited crowd of people of all ages. Job done.

Edited by Norfolkit on Friday 6th July 22:50

[MiniMan64]

rover 623gsi said:

paulrockliffe said:

Just seen this thread, surprised there's been no mention of this:

www.endurancelife.com/realrelay

The cynic in me suspects there's a media black-out on this because it 'competes' with the official relay. Be interesting to know if anyone had heard about this through the media?

Ok – so I’ve had a look at the link. As a result, I suspect the reason why there’s been no mention of it on this thread, or indeed the mainstream media, is because there is nothing real about. The real relay is the official one. The other event taking place appears to have been organised by a charity who had the clever idea of piggybacking the Olympic Torch Relay. If they manage to raise some money then fair play but I don’t see anything particularly special about it.

The only difference I can see is that the relay on the link you've posted is attempting to run the entire way, not hop on a van for the boring inbetween bits. I don't really see they point.