Torchbearers Get Moment To Shine

Details of the inspirational Torchbearers who will carry the Olympic Flame through Bath on Tuesday 22 May have been announced this week.

Those chosen by LOCOG to take part in the Torch Relay include a man who succeeded in shedding 14 stone in 18 months; a Bath mum whose childhood dream will soon be realised and a snowboarding champion who hopes to inspire other youngsters.

Richard Harrison, of Shoscombe in Bath, has truly turned his life around since September 2009, when he decided to embark on a quest to lose weight. Through eating well and becoming more active he lost an astounding 14 stone in just 18 months.

Since then he’s never looked back; running the Sheffield Half Marathon in May 2011 and going on to run the Auckland Marathon in New Zealand. Richard has inspired many people with his story and now has the reward of being a Torchbearer.

He said: “In just two years I’ve completely turned my life around. I’m healthy, active and happy. I’m so excited about the future.”

Carolyn Reed, of Weston in Bath has dreamed of carrying the Olympic Flame since childhood, when she hand made some Olympic Rings to stick on her bedroom wall! She is a volunteer Cub Scout leader alongside her role as a teaching assistant in a local primary school, where she often works beyond what is expected to try to meet her pupils’ needs as best she can.

She has also used her love of sport to raise money for charity, running the Race for Life for the past five years. As soon as it was announced that the games would be coming to London Carolyn wanted to be involved, and registered as a volunteer before deservedly being selected to carry the Olympic Flame.

Jamie Barrow, of Oldfield Park, Bath, fell in love with snowboarding as soon as he set foot on a board in 2000. Training with the British Senior Boardercross Team from the age of 15, he went up against some of the best competitors in the world and became British Junior Boardercross Champion in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Upon completing his degree in Sports Performance from the University of Bath, Jamie will be focusing on qualifying for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. He is also hoping to break the British Snowboard Speed Record – smashing through the 100mph barrier!

Jamie works with sports charity RELAYS and is a Lloyds TSB Local Hero delivering presentations to schools and businesses. He also hopes to work with SportTrust as an athlete mentor. He said: “It is very important to me to encourage young kids to carry on doing what they love. That’s why I participate in these programmes because even if just one of them leaves feeling like it has helped, it was all worth it.”

More details of the Torchbearers taking part in the Torch Relay through Bath on 22 May can be found at http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/torch2012.

Councillor David Dixon (Lib-Dem, Oldfield), Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “It’s not long to go now until the big day and we hope that people from all over the district will get involved by lining the streets to welcome these inspirational Torchbearers to our community.

“Bath & North East Somerset Council is keen to work together with schools, families, community groups, local businesses and visitors to help us celebrate this truly magnificent event. It’s a once in a lifetime chance for our communities to share in the Olympic spirit, mark the countdown to the start of the Games and continue the festivities right through 2012.”

The streets along which the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay can be viewed are available at http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/torch2012, which gives street-by-street details and proposed start times for when the Olympic Flame will travel through Bath and North East Somerset.

The Torchbearers confirmed to carry the Flame through Bath include those that were successful through the public nomination processes run by LOCOG and the presenting partners, Coca Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung. Each Torchbearer will wear a white and gold uniform which has been designed by adidas.