Olympic Torch Relay Visit Dunster Castle

Torch Relay to Visit Dunster Castle and the Taw Bridge on Journey from Exeter to Taunton

Today the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel from Exeter and end in Taunton. The Olympic Flame will travel 135.30 miles through 23 communities.

(PRWEB) May 21, 2012

Today the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel from Exeter and end in Taunton. The Olympic Flame will travel 135.30 miles through 23 communities. 

• Today the Torch Relay will travel 135.30 miles
• 113 inspirational Torchbearers will carry the Flame
• Evening celebration to take place at Somerset Cricket Ground
• Images from the day will be available to download from here throughout the day

113 Torchbearers will carry the Flame before it arrives at the first Evening Celebration at Somerset Cricket Ground at 5pm where a cauldron will be lit to mark the culmination of the day’s festivities. After the celebrations have finished, the Flame will be transferred to a lantern and it will stay in Taunton overnight.

On Day 3 the Flame will be carried through the following communities:
Exeter, Okehampton, Folly Gate, Hatherleigh, Merton, Great Torrington, Bideford, Sticklepath, Barnstaple, Wrafton, Braunton, Knowle, Ilfracombe, Combe Martin, Lynton, Lynmouth, Porlock, Minehead, Dunster, Carhampton, Washford, Williton and Taunton.

During the day the Flame will also pass a number of iconic landmarks including the Taw Bridge and Dunster Castle.

Torchbearers during the day will include:

Paul Giblin, 49, from Devon was nominated by Exeter City Council through the LOCOG campaign. Paul, who is carrying the Flame in Exeter, has been nominated for the work he does in his spare time to promote culture in Exeter, with a particular focus on celebrating diversity, social inclusion and empowerment.

Georgina Geikie, 28, from Devon was nominated through the Lloyds TSB campaign. Georgina will carry the Flame through Okehampton. Georgina was selected because of her commitment and dedication to her sport and inspiring her community and peers through coaching carried out in her community. She also won Bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010.

Danielle Smith, 20, who was nominated through the LOCOG campaign, is a below the knee amputee who strives to make the best out of every day. Her amputation is not a barrier for her. Danielle, who is from Devon and running in Lynton, has helped a young amputee who lost his leg in Afganistan by giving some sound advice.

Louise Goux, 23, from Bristol, who was nominated through the Coca-Cola Future Flame programme for her work as a student leader. Louise will carry the Flame in Bideford today.

Andrew Murphy, 44, was nominated by Taunton Deane Borough Council through the LOCOG campaign. Andy, who is from Taunton and is carrying the Flame there, is a Police Officer whose beat is one of the most deprived areas in the District and he has gone well beyond the call of duty to work with young people in this community and to help improve their lives and ambitions.

Today’s Torchbearers are joined by Triple Jump World record holder Jonathan Edwards who will carry the Flame in Ilfracombe and by cricketer Marcus Trescothick who was nominated through the Samsung campaign, will carry the Flame in Taunton.

The evening celebration will feature a variety of entertainment staged by LOCOG and the three Presenting Partners of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay - Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung - with support from Taunton Deane Borough Council. All tickets to the event have now been allocated.

The line-up includes music from Labrinth, a dance troupe who will provide a unique fusion of street performance, theatre and sport and dance act Twist and Pulse. There will also be entertainment that showcases the culture and heritage of Taunton Deane and Somerset.

The Olympic Flame will travel an estimated 8,000 miles and will showcase as much of the UK as possible. The route of the Olympic Torch Relay was devised after extensive consultation with representatives in each nation and region.

The Olympic Torch Relay will also include exciting moments with extreme heights, high speeds and breath-taking spectacles and the Flame will be travelling by different methods of transport including horseback, bicycle, tram and steam-train. Every county in England and every Local Authority area in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will host the Olympic Flame, with visits reaching as far north as Lerwick in Scotland to St Helier in the south, Lowestoft in the east and Enniskillen in the west. Many thousands of people are expected to welcome the Olympic Flame along the route each day and celebrate the achievements of the Torchbearers in parks, squares and streets right around the UK.

The convoy travelling with the Flame consists of 14 core vehicles, including a pilot car, Torchbearer drop-off and pick-up shuttles, Presenting Partner vehicles, a media vehicle, a command car and security vehicles. The lead convoy, including the Presenting Partner vehicles, will provide entertainment for the crowds. This will be followed 5-7 minutes later by the Torchbearer.

A crew of approximately 350 people will be working each day of the Relay. Core teams of LOCOG staff, the Metropolitan Police Torch Security Team, Presenting Partners, host Police Forces and host Local Authorities will be working together throughout the 70 days.

James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, The Coca-Cola Company, said: ‘We’re three days into what is shaping up to be an incredible 70 day journey around the UK. We’re so excited to join with the crowds lining the streets to celebrate our inspirational Coca-Cola Future Flames as they carry the Olympic Flame through their local communities, for example today Benjamin Payne and Louise Goux will run in Lynton and Bideford. We’re continuing to spread the magic of London 2012 across the United Kingdom, and will be getting everyone to Move to the Beat tonight as we bring Labrinth to the stage in Taunton.’

Sally Hancock, Director, 2012 Partnership at Lloyds Banking Group, said: ‘The Olympic Torch Relay will mark the moment when every corner of the UK will start to feel the excitement of London 2012. Lloyds TSB is creating as many opportunities as possible for people to get involved as the Olympic Flame passes their front doors. We’re calling on everyone to come and line the streets to cheer on their local Lloyds TSB Torchbearers and celebrate with our troupe of performers the Flame Followers who will use a unique fusion of performance to bring the excitement of the Flame to communities.’

Mr Sunny Hwang, Vice President & Head of Global Sports Marketing, Samsung Electronics, said: “Samsung is delighted to be a Presenting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay and we feel the Torchbearers selected for the Exeter to Taunton route really do demonstrate the ‘gone the extra mile’ community element that lies at the heart of our Olympic Torch Relay London 2012 campaign. We’re delighted that England cricketer Marcus Edward Trescothick will be running and representing Samsung at this stage.”

For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office.

Notes to editors:

Each day two short packages of broadcast footage will be made available. The packages will be available via the Footage library – accessible from the Media Centre on london2012.com and direct from this linkhttp://footagelibrary.london2012.com. Media will need to register for access in advance. Registration is free.

About the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Presenting Partners:

As the longest standing Presenting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola will be using its heritage and experience to spread excitement across the UK ahead of London 2012. Coca-Cola's national nomination campaign - Future Flames – has focused on finding inspirational young people from across the country to have the once in a lifetime opportunity to carry the Olympic Flame. This summer Coca-Cola will celebrate these Future Flames: young people who use their passions in areas like sport and physical activity, music and dance, and community and the environment; to spread happiness in their local communities.

As the only National Presenting Partner of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, Lloyds TSB will be taking the inspiration and excitement of the Olympic Flame right to the heart of communities across the UK. As part of Lloyds Banking Group, Bank of Scotland will be the National Presenting Partner in Scotland. We are creating as many opportunities as possible for communities the length and breadth of the UK to get involved as the Flame travels past their front doors. Lloyds TSB’s troupe of performers the Flame Followers will be travelling ahead of the Flame to excite crowds with a unique fusion of street performance, theatre and sport celebrating the endeavour, athleticism, agility and skill of Olympic sporting heroes, Team GB.

Lloyds Banking Group is Britain’s biggest corporate investor in UK communities and in 2011 invested £85 million and as part of the Group’s Community Investment Programme, we’ve launched the Lloyds Banking Group Community Fund to give back to the communities in which we operate and pass through on our journey with the Olympic Flame. We’re inviting everyone to visit the Lloyds TSB stand at each Evening Celebration to vote for a community project in their area that inspires and supports young people. By voting at the Evening Celebration members of the public will automatically enter a draw to win four tickets to London 2012. The two projects that receive the most votes at each locality will each win a £5,000 grant from Lloyds Banking Group. At the Lloyds TSB site members of the public will also have the opportunity to have their photo taken with the Olympic Torch, meet Lloyds TSB Local Heroes – the future stars of Team GB and ParalympicsGB – and get up close to our Flame Followers.

As a Presenting Partner of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, Samsung aims to encourage everyone to be part of the greatest show on Earth to make London 2012 ‘Everyone’s Olympic Games.’ We aspire to offer new and memorable experiences for everyone around the world through our own innovative and smart wireless technology. Samsung is providing 1,360 Torchbearers, who have “gone the extra mile” by contributing to the local communities, through its worldwide public nomination campaign. In total over 25,000 nominations were received. Samsung will support towns and cities to celebrate the exciting moment of the Torch Relay and help showcase Great Britain’s cultural landmarks to provide a more enjoyable experience to everyone.

The evening celebrations that will be staged by Samsung in 66 towns and cities throughout the Olympic Flame’s journey across the UK, will allow Samsung to entertain the community they are visiting. The Samsung caravan, complete with LED screen on the side showcasing runners and goodwill messages, will follow the Torchbearers around the UK cheering up everyone to celebrate the Torch Relay with music and interaction with local communities. It is Samsung’s ambition that London 2012 will be an event that reaches and involves more people than on any other Olympic Games occasion.

The Supporters of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay are:
Worldwide Olympic Partners Procter and Gamble and Visa, Tier One Partners adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT and EDF, Tier Three Providers Aggreko, Holiday Inn and NATURE VALLEY.

The BBC will be providing extensive coverage of the Torch Relay on television, radio and online. This will include special Breakfast shows on every BBC local radio station, and extended live coverage of an evening celebration event in every Nation and English Region.

London 2012 Games partners:
The Worldwide Olympic Partners who support the London 2012 Olympic Games and the National Olympic Committees around the world are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos, Dow Chemical Company, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa.

LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS.

There are now twenty-eight domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Aggreko, Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, G4S, GSK, Gymnova, Heathrow Airport, Heineken UK, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, NATURE VALLEY, Next, Nielsen, Populous, Rapiscan Systems, Rio Tinto, Technogym, Thames Water, Ticketmaster, Trebor and Westfield.

There is one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games-only Partner, Sainsbury’s and one domestic Tier Three Paralympic Games-only Supplier, Otto Bock. The London 2012 Paralympic Games also acknowledges the support of the National Lottery