The Moors, Dales and even the Scots Guardsman steam train are having their moment in the spotlight as the Olympic Flame tours Yorkshire and Humber.
The Flame is visiting more than 70 villages, towns and cities on its tour of the region, including Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Barnsley and Sheffield. Read background briefing on Yorkshire and Humber’s role in the 2012 Games here.
The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg welcomed the Flame’s return to the region:
“Over the past few weeks the Olympic Torch Relay has received a phenomenal welcome on its travels around the UK. Now it is Yorkshire and Humber’s time to get involved. I know that the people here are going to give the relay a fantastic reception.
“Local companies have already played a big part in the preparations for the Olympic,s with 40 businesses providing building material for the Olympic Park and hundreds more receiving other Games-related contracts. In the coming weeks the area will have an even bigger role to play as we host 13 training camps.
“Yorkshire and the Humber is also home to a number of the UK’s top Olympic athletes so when the Games start, I am sure we will all be cheering them on.”
The Flame visited Hull and York last week (18 – 20 June), stopping off at the National Railway Museum in York, Beverley Minster and Fountains Abbey, before heading to the North West. The Flame has now come back over the Pennines to Leeds.
The Relay will again highlight the tourist and visitor offer of the region. It will travel past iconic landmarks and attractions such as the Humber Bridge, the National Coal Museum and the Headingly Carnegie Stadium in Leeds. The tour of the region will end in Grimsby on the morning of 27 June.
Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport Jeremy Hunt said:
“At just over halfway through its journey, the Flame has already travelled thousands of miles, visited hundreds of villages, towns and cities and been greeted by 4.1 million people up and down the country. Now it’s Yorkshire and the Humber’s turn to join in the celebrations.
“This region has a huge amount to be proud of, from its magnificent countryside to its bustling cities, and the Torch Relay will offer a great opportunity to showcase the area to the rest of the country and the world.”
Torchbearers aged between 12 and 92 will be carrying the Flame through Yorkshire and Humber.
Carys Hall will be carrying the Flame in Sheffield tomorrow (25 June). Carys was nominated for her involvement in the ’Sheffield Academy of Young Leaders’, a charity which helps young people develop leadership and teamwork skills.
Carys said:
“I am very excited and proud to be part of the Olympic Torch Relay. It is a once in a lifetime event to represent my city and I am so lucky to be involved. The experience will definitely stay with me forever.”
Yorkshire and the Humber have already played a huge part in preparing for the Games.
More than £74 million worth of Olympic Park contracts were won by businesses based in Yorkshire and Humber. More than 220 Yorkshire and Humber businesses have been awarded Games-related contracts and over 40 local businesses have played a role in the construction of the Olympic Park:
- Arnold Laver, Sheffield supplied timber for the velodrome
- Phoenix Flooring, Leeds worked on the Olympic Stadium
- Bespoke Precast, Barnsley provided seating terraces for the Velodrome
- County Turf, Scunthorpe grew the turf for the Olympic Stadium.
In the coming weeks and months the region will continue to have a very active role to play.
A number of nations are setting up their pre-Games training camps in the region, including the Dutch swimming team, the United States diving team and eight disciplines from the Chinese National Olympic Committee, including Athletics, who will train at the University of Leeds.
The region is also the home of several of the UK’s best medal hopes, including heptathlon star Jessica Ennis from Sheffield, double triathlon world champion Alistair Brownlee and his brother Jonathan from Leeds, taekwondo world champion Sarah Stevenson from Doncaster and archery champion Danielle Brown from Lothersdale in North Yorkshire.
Notes to Editors
- See press photos, key facts and briefing along with the latest news about Yorkshire and Humber and London 2012 on our website: http://goc2012.culture.gov.uk/
background/yorkshire-humber- briefing/ - Find case studies highlighting the legacy of the Games on our ‘Beyond 2012′ Tumblr:http://beyond2012.tumblr.com/
- View and embed our Tripline map following the torch relay around the UK: http://bit.ly/KvSTv0
- For media enquiries please call our news desk on +44 (0)20 7271 1700.