Olympic Flame Greeted by The Queen

Day 53: Olympic Flame to Travel in a Boat at Henley and be Greeted by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle During Its Journey from Oxford to Reading

On Tuesday 10th July, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 87.05 miles through 15 communities on its journey from Oxford to Reading.

(PRWEB) July 10, 2012

On Tuesday 10th July, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 87.05 miles through 15 communities on its journey from Oxford to Reading.

The Relay will travel through the following communities: Oxford, Abingdon, Wallingford, Crowmarsh Gifford, Nettlebed, Henley-on-Thames, Bisham Abbey, Maidenhead, Burnham, Slough, Windsor, Egham, Ascot, Bracknell and Reading.

Highlights for today include:

7.05am – Sir Roger Bannister will start with the Flame at Iffley Road Stadium, the place where he famously broke the four minute mile. He will hand the Flame to the first Torchbearer of the day, Nicola Byrom, 25, from Oxford. Nicola will then carry the Flame around the running track.

Nicola is studying for a doctorate in experimental psychology at Brasenose College. In 2009 she launched SRSH (Student Run Self Help), a volunteer-run organisation to provide self-help groups across the country for students with eating disorders, and has raised more than £60,000 for the programme.

9.37am – At Henley on Thames Mark Chesterton, 63, from Oxford, will pass the Flame onto Sir Steve Redgrave who will be in a boat that will travel northwards from the jetty at Thameside, under the bridge, then onto the jetty on the right hand side at Leander Boat Club.

Mark was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign for his hard work and dedication as head teacher at Larkrise School.

Sir Steve Redgrave was nominated by the British Olympic Association for winning an unprecedented five rowing gold medals in consecutive Olympic Games, making him the most successful British Olympian to date.    

10.14am – Sam Shepherd, 22, from Cookham, will take the Flame at Bisham Abbey. Sam was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign for raising thousands of pounds for charity.

11.43am – Olympic rower, Sarah Winckless, will take the Flame from Eton Dorney Lake jetty onto a rowing boat, the boat will then meet up with another rowing boat which will have Sarah Lewendon, 45, from Basingstoke, waiting to receive the Flame, the transfer will take place mid-lake.

Sarah Winckless was nominated by the British Olympic Association. She was World Champion and won an Olympic rowing bronze medal in rowing. Since retiring from competition, she is now Chair of BOA’s Athlete’s Commission and works with athletes and young people to help them achieve their best.

Sarah Lewendon was nominated through the LOCOG public nomination campaign for her work as a Special Constable.

2.42pm – Renate Beynon, 66, from Reading will carry the Flame into Windsor Castle through the Henry VIII Gate. Inside she will pass the flame onto Gina Macgregor, 74, from Maidenhead, who will carry the Flame through the castle, past St George’s Chapel and into the quadrangle. In the quadrangle she will pass the Flame to Phillip Wells, 12, from Taplow, witnessed by Her Majesty The Queen and the His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.

Also present at the castle will be a number of people who took part in the 1948 Olympic Games. This will include:

Michael Adams from Torquay who was a Torchbearer and carried the Olympic Flame through Barford St Martin’s, Wiltshire.

George Weedon from Southwell, Nottinghamshire, who competed in the Gymnastics events.

Pamela Cook from Langley, who was a volunteer and worked with the South American teams who were staying in Richmond Park.

4.40pm – Denise Lewis will carry the Flame at Ascot Racecourse and will pass the flame onto Frankie Dettori who will be sitting on a horse in the centre of the ring. He will then carry the Flame on a lap of the ring.
Denise was nominated by the British Olympic Association. Denise won a bronze medal in the Heptathlon in Atlanta 1996 and then won gold in Sydney 2000, despite struggling with an achilles injury. Since retiring, Denise has become a School Sports Ambassador for the Youth Sports Trust, where her role is to inspire children to take part in PE and school sport. She remains one of the most popular and inspirational figures within British Olympic sport.

Frankie Dettori was Champion jockey in 1994, 1995 and 2004 and has won almost every major international race, becoming the first apprentice jockey to ride 100 winners since Lester Piggott. He made history at Ascot in 1996 when he won all seven races on a single day. He came close to death when escaping from a plane crash which killed his pilot in 2000, and was awarded an MBE in the same year. Currently an ambassador for QIPCO British Champions Series - Britain's premier series of Flat Racing, Frankie made it into second place in the Jockey of the Series battle in 2011, the inaugural year of the series.

6.50pm – The last Torchbearer of the day, Quentin Gunderson, 41, from Reading, will carry the Flame into the Evening Celebration at the Madjeski Stadium in Reading. Quentin was selected through the Lloyds TSB campaign for the work that he does for The Lighthouse Centre in Reading. To help raise money for TLG Quentin set himself the challenge of running 1040 miles, the equivalent to 40 marathons, in his 40th year.

The evening celebration will take place at the Madjeski Stadium, Reading.

The evening celebration event begins at 4pm and 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 Reading Borough Council.

Young Guns will perform at the Evening Celebration. A dance troupe will also provide a unique fusion of street performance, theatre and sport and there will also be a performance from dance act Twist and Pulse. There will also be performances by local acts.

Towards the end of the two-hour show, the last Torchbearer of the day – Quentin Gunderson - will light a celebration cauldron on stage at the event which will enable the Olympic Flame to be seen by the audience.

Other Torchbearer highlights include:

Raymond Blanc will carry the Flame in Wallingford. Raymond is one of the country’s most respected chef’s. He is entirely self-taught and took inspiration from his mothers cooking. He started out as a waiter and came to Britain with virtually nothing. In 1977 he and his wife put together their meagre savings and mortgaged their house to buy their first restaurant in Oxford, which won the Egon Ronay Restaurant of the Year award and Michelin stars. His current hotel and restaurant in Great Milton, Le Manoir, is the only country house in the UK to have achieved two Michelin stars for a total of 19 years. Raymond has championed and nurtured some of our most famous chefs personally in his kitchens and was voted the AA's Chefs Chef of the year by his peers in 2005. In 2007 he was awarded the OBE for services in promoting culinary excellence and for raising awareness of the importance of healthy food as a central element of family life.

Heston Blumenthal will carry the Flame in Slough. He was selected by British Airways. He`s the self-styled `mad scientist` of cooking, who won his third Michelin star younger than anyone in history. Not bad for a self-taught chef who`s only formal training is a week in Raymond Blanc`s kitchen. . He spent the next ten years in an unglamorous series of day jobs (photocopier salesman and debt collector among them) while he schooled himself through the classical repertoire of French cuisine. In 1995 he and his wife bought a 450-year-old pub in Bray, Berkshire with no view, an outside toilet and home to the surrounding area`s outlawed drinkers. This was to become the world-famous Fat Duck restaurant, recipient of three Michelin stars (only the 4th UK restaurant ever to do so) and the place where Heston would hone his so called `molecular gastronomy` with dishes such as sardine ice cream and snail porridge.. British Airways is proud to have Heston Blumenthal carry the Olympic Torch on behalf of BA due to this support on the Great Britons London 2012 Olympic programme. Heston has provided support and mentoring to Simon Hulstone to produce a bold British menu to serve millions of customers on board British Airways’ flights in the run up to and over the Games.

Ray Wilkins will carry the Flame Egham. He was selected by Samsung. Ray carries with him around 35 years of experience within the football world, with a career which has seen him play, manage and coach for some of the most successful football teams in the world. With over 84 Caps for England, Ray was awarded the honour of becoming an MBE in 1993 for his services to football. Perhaps Ray's best accomplishment to date, was most recently as a coach for Chelsea, where his ability, knowledge and passion for the beautiful game, helped lead the team to win the Premier League and FA Cup double for the first time in their history during the 2009/2010 season. Throughout the duration of the past 5 years has raised over £300,000 for several Charities.

Nominated through LOCOG’s public nomination campaign - Gerald Anderson, 57, from Wilmington in the United States will carry the Flame in Abingdon Jerry is an Internationally recognised architect and is acknowledged as the foremost authority on the design of temporary facilities and venues, in the sport and major event industry, as well as a leading force in shaping 21st century Olympics. The dominant theme in Jerry Anderson’s career has been the Olympic Games. He has directed and managed planners and architects in Atlanta, Sydney, Salt Lake City, Athens and Beijing. Also, an author of the innovative London 2012 Olympic Park master plan and the venue plan for all of the London Olympic venues, with an approach that marks the next stage in the evolution of the Olympics.

Nominated through LOCOG’s public nomination campaign - Frederick Turok, 57, from West Sussex, will carry the Flame in Bracknell Fred started his career as a PE teacher before moving into the health and fitness industry. He bought his own club, LA Fitness, in 1990 and the company, of which he is still Chairman, now has over 80 clubs nationally. Now retired Fred started the charity TAG (Target a Generation) in 2008 which focuses on training 18-24 year olds who are not in education, employment or training and helping them secure jobs in the health and fitness industry. Fred is Chairman of the Fitness Industry Association which represents public and private sector operators, equipment suppliers and training providers. The FIA's mission and Fred's passion is to get more people, more active, more often. It is for this reason that the Secretary of State for Health asked Fred in 2010 to become the Chairman of the Physical Activity Network in the Public Health Responsibility Deal. The Deal aims to tap into the potential of the private, public and voluntary sectors to improve public health and tackle health inequalities. Under Fred's guidance the Physical Activity Network now has over 180 partners and has created a number of projects and pledges around getting people more physically active.

Lee Silk, 22, from Reading, will carry the Flame in Reading. Selected through the Coca-Cola Future Flames programme, Lee works with children on a daily basis encouraging them to participate in sports and use it in their literacy and numeracy lessons. He has set up a scheme where young people that have low attainment an levels in literacy an maths have the opportunity to increase their skills in these subjects through football.

James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola Northwest Europe & Nordics, said: “Today, more Coca-Cola Future Flames will help us celebrate the fifty-third day of our amazing journey, including Bethany Brewer and Lee Silk who carry the Olympic Flame in Slough and Reading. We will also get everyone to Move to the Beat tonight as we bring Young Guns to the stage in Reading.”

Sally Hancock, Director, London 2012 Partnership at Lloyds Banking Group, said: “The Olympic Torch Relay has had an incredible reception throughout its journey, and we are proud to bring the excitement of London 2012 to communities along the way. Lloyds TSB is creating as many opportunities as possible for people to get involved as the Flame passes their door today along the route between Oxford and Reading. We’re calling on everyone to cheer on their local Lloyds TSB Torchbearers – extraordinary people like Quentin “Q” Gunderson, carrying the Flame in his hometown of Reading. The Lloyds TSB Flame Followers will fuel the excitement with their unique style of performance ahead of their Flame Followers Spectacular in Reading tonight.”

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 really do demonstrate the ‘gone the extra mile’ community element that lies at the heart of our London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay campaign."

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.

The broadcast of the Olympic Torch Relay is provided for Editorial Use Only. There can be no commercial association, no third party association and no commercial/ad superimposition on the video footage, unless the prior written consent of the IOC is acquired.

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 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. Full details of the coverage will be at bbc.co.uk/2012.

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 

• Today the Relay will travel 87.05 miles
• 111 Torchbearers will carry the Flame
• Evening celebration to take place at the Madjeski Stadium, Reading
• Images from today can be downloaded here