LONDON 2012 – Day 58: Olympic Flame to visit Guernsey and Jersey on its journey from Southampton to Portsmouth

On Sunday 15 July, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will travel 48.54 miles through seven communities on its journey from Southampton Portsmouth.

The Flame will be carried through the following communities: Southampton, Guernsey, Jersey, Fareham, Bridgemary, Gosport and Portsmouth.

·  82 Torchbearers will carry the Flame

· Evening celebration to take place at Southsea Common

• Images from today can be downloaded here

Highlights for today include:

6.00am – The first Torchbearer of the day will be Michael Stroud, 57, from Liss, who will start with the Flame at the Guildhall. Mike was nominated by Sir Ranulph Fiennes for his accomplishments in worldwide expeditions and his work for charity, hospital medicine and nutritional care. Mike and Sir Ranulph's expeditions included the first unsupported walk across Antarctica, and running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. These and other journeys raised more than £4 million for medical charities and led to Mike receiving an OBE for 'Human Endeavour and Services to Charity. Mike is currently a Consultant Gastroenterologist in Southampton.

 

7.22am – The Flame will depart from Southampton Airport

8.17am – The Flame will arrive at Guernsey Airport

8.59am – The first Torchbearer in Guernsey will be Roger Allsopp, 71, from Guernsey and he will carry the Flame on the South Esplanade in St Peter Port. Roger was nominated for his Channel swim which put him in the record books for being the oldest person to have completed the crossing.

09.15am – Jamie Bichard, 27, from Guernsey, will carry the Flame to the front of Guernsey Lighthouse where he will hand the Flame to Hannah Pearce, 30, from Guernsey.

Jamie was selected through the Coca Cola campaign for his commitment to cycling and Hannah was nominated in the LOCOG public nomination campaign for her voluntary work helping young children with physical and learning difficulties to become gymnasts.

The Flame will depart from Guernsey airport at 11.15am and arrive into Jersey airport at approximately 11.35am.

12.07pm – The first Torchbearer in Jersey will be Richard Collinson, 69, from St. Helier who was nominated through the LOCOG campaign for dedicating his life to sport and providing football coaching for young people. He was also the first team manager for the Island Games swimming team. He will carry the Flame along Victoria Avenue in St Helier from The Kiosk car park.

12.42pm – Sal Minty-Gravett, 55, from Jersey, will carry the Flame into the Community Celebration at Weighbridge Place. Sally was selected for swimming the English Channel on four occasions in four decades and will attempt an unprecedented 82-mile double circumnavigation of Jersey Island in 2012. Sal is the only woman to have swum the Channel in four different decades and had dedicated many years to teaching swimming in Jersey.

1.15pm – Anthony Lewis, 43, from Jersey, will carry the Flame out of the Community Celebration at Weighbridge Place. Anthony was selected through the Samsung campaign for his fundraising activities and courage in his recovery from a stroke, culminating in him walking the Jersey marathon in five days.   

The Flame will depart from Jersey airport at 2.27pm and will arrive in Southampton airport at 3.22pm.

5.55pm – The Flame will be taken by ferry from Gosport to the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth.

6.10pm – Mazie Watson, 12, from Portsmouth, will carry the Flame from the jetty at the Historic Dockyard to HMS Victory where she will hand the Flame on to Colette Hayes, 18, from Southampton at HMS Victory.

Mazie was nominated through the London 2012 Get Set Education programme for her contribution to sports and school life at Mayfield School. She is a dedicated swimmer with a tough daily training schedule who is a role model for her peers.

Collette who was nominated by the British Olympic Association for her commitment and dedication to coaching gymnastics won the 2011 British Gymnastics Young Volunteer of the Year Award.

6.50pm – The last Torchbearer of the day, Jonathon Bamber, 26, from Southsea will carry the Flame into the Evening Celebration on Southsea Common. Jonathon was nominated through the Samsung campaign for good deeds that he had done in the community for people that he didn't know.

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 Portsmouth City Council.

The line-up includes music from Rizzle Kicks, a dance troupe who will provide a unique fusion of street performance, theatre and sport and dance act Twist and Pulse.

Portsmouth City Council will present two, ten-minute slots of entertainment from local performers during the evening celebration. This will include a specially choreographed dance piece by Hampshire Dance performed in the corridor leading up onto the stage along which the final Torchbearer will carry the Flame. The New Theatre Royal Little Actors and Youth Theatre are also set to perform a bespoke a Dickensian piece and the Portsmouth Music Service choir of 30 school children from across the city will bring the evening to a close by performing three songs from the Singathlon songbook, which is part of the London 2012 Inspire Mark programme.

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

Torchbearer highlights:

Heather Lambert, 48, who is from Totton and carrying the Flame in Southampton. Heather, who was nominated by Southampton City Council through the LOCOG campaign, is a foster carer who has dedicated her life to looking after the foster children and treat them like their own. Heather currently has four siblings placed with her and makes sure the children have opportunities to get involved in swimming lessons, Brownies, guides and they have very special birthday parties.

Roger Sherliker, 53 from Southampton, was nominated through Lloyds TSB's public nomination campaign. Roger, who is carrying the Flame in Southampton, has spent nearly 20 years volunteering as an athletics coach for children in the Southampton area.

Charlotte Samson, 18, from St Lawrence and carrying the Flame in St
Helier. Charlotte was selected through the Coca-Cola Future Flames programme, Charlotte is currently part of the UK Lifesaving Team selected by England to compete at the Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships.

James Williams, Director, Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola Northwest Europe & Nordics, said: ‘Today, more Coca-Cola Future Flames will help us celebrate the fifty-eighth day of our amazing journey, including Charlotte Samson and Alexander Buesnel who carry the Olympic Flame in Jersey.  We will also get everyone to Move to the Beat tonight as we bring Rizzle Kicks to the stage in Portsmouth.'

Sally Hancock, Director, London 2012 Partnership at Lloyds Banking Group, said: ‘Today the Olympic Flame visits the Channel Islands before continuing along the south coast to Portsmouth. We're proud to bring the excitement of London 2012 to communities across the UK. Lloyds TSB is creating as many opportunities as possible for people to get involved as the Olympic Torch Relay passes their door. We are calling on everyone to cheer on their local Lloyds TSB Torchbearers – extraordinary people like Thomas Hollingsworth and Roger Sherliker, carrying the Flame in St Peter Port and Southampton. The Lloyds TSB Flame Followers will also be lighting up the route ahead of the Flame before their Flame Followers Spectacular performance in Portsmouth 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 as it has given us the perfect opportunity to encourage everyone from all around the world to be involved in the Olympic Games.'

 

LONDON 2012