Olympic torch bearers speak after special day

The sun shone on Shropshire as Olympic fever brought thousands onto the streets for the torch relay.

People travelled from across the county and beyond to be a part of the occasion, with some even arriving from foreign shores. It helped create a carnival atmosphere in communities across south Shropshire and in border towns.

Thousands of people lined the streets of Leominster as Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies joined town residents Christine Hood, 69 and Jordan Baxter, 20, on the relay.

For Mrs Hood, a grandmother, who was born in Much Wenlock, it was the fulfilment of a lifetime dream.

She was a keen athlete as a youngster and competed in the All England School Championships twice as a hurdler.

Christine, who lives in Eardisland, said: "It was absolutely magnificent and although I was very nervous it was absolutely fantastic. I felt very nervous before the event, but it was superb."

Sharron Davies, who won an Olympic silver medal for swimming in 1980, said she was proud to be British following her leg of the relay.

She said: "The people of Leominster were amazing and it was a lovely experience. The fellow torchbearers were very inspirational and I feel proud to be British today."

Mr Baxter was nominated after raising £10,000 for the Anthony Nolan Trust through running the London Marathon earlier this year after his father was diagnosed with leukaemia.

He said: "It was a brilliant experience and one I am privileged to have experienced."

Crowds lined the streets as the runners made their way through, with Tony Rouse, a retired bank manager from the town who is friends with Mrs Hood, saying: "It was a great way to get the country in the mood for the Olympics.

"At first I thought it may have been a bit of a gimmick, but actually it has brought the whole place together and it feels as though it is a marvellous event.

"It has made me very proud to see Christine run as it has been a dream of hers and it was great to see her stop and acknowledge her friends and family."

Matty Clarke, 15, from Lydbury North, was born with a number of holes in his heart but has fought against adversity and has joined the Army Cadets in the past year. He was nominated by his dad Colin and was supported by friends and family.

He said: "Being here today and seeing everything and everyone is really special. I'll remember it for the rest of my life. It is a once in a lifetime experience."

Chloe Stanik, of Leominster, was a torch bearer through Ludlow. She was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie tooth disease at seven, which affects both motor and sensory nerves.Now 13 she still often finds a five-minute walk a painful ordeal and also suffers with ADHD and parasomnia.

The Weobley High School pupil said: "I was a bit nervous at the start but it was exciting."

Katie Row, of Brockton, near Much Wenlock was one of the first people from Shropshire to raise an Olympic torch.

The 18-year-old was cheered on by family and school friends from William Brookes School when she set off on her section of the relay at Corse and Staunton, near Gloucester.

She said: "It was amazing. I was so nervous before I did it. I couldn't eat anything but I was really excited as well.

"My family came to see me and there was a minibus from my school."

Meryl Handley, 61, from Eardiston near Tenbury Wells, was honoured for more than 25 years service to the Girl Guiding movement.

She said: "It was a fantastic experience - there were so many people and it all happened so quickly. My daughters Tracey and Lucy are very proud of me and it is something I will remember forever."

In Cleobury Mortimer Stuart Watson, 16, a student at Madeley Academy in Telford, had the added pressure of not only carrying the torch but having the live TV images beamed back to his friends in class.

He said: "When I ran the whole school was watching as each class has an interactive whiteboard. I'm very proud and extremely happy this is such a great privilege to be here and to carry the torch.

"When I got here the nerves went away and I'm incredibly proud just like everyone else."

Teachers at the school described the moment he carried the torch as 'spine tingling' and praised the young man for overcoming the death of his father to cancer in 2009.

Mr Watson handed over the torch to retired Major Christopher Morton, 69, from Malvern Hills, who donated his torch to Lacon Childe School so youngsters could savour the moment the torch passed through Cleobury.

Livi Mackender, 12, from Bridgnorth, who carried the torch through Far Forest, was nominated after she became the first female air scout for her troop after the death of her stepfather in a car accident four years ago and her grandfather suddenly.

She said: "It was absolutely brilliant as I have had a difficult few years losing important members of the family. Everyone was really proud of me."

In nearby Callow Hill, Zoe Ayton, 17, of Madeley in Telford, was cheered on by two minibuses of pupils from Abraham Darby Academy, where she is head girl. She said: "It was brilliant and lots of my friends came along to cheer me on, it was just wonderful."

Presteigne man Alan Randell, who is also chairman of the town's football club, ran a leg in Hereford.

He said: "The crowds were absolutely perfect. I really enjoyed it and I know that at John Beddoes School where I work as a caretaker, they put up a large screen on the stage and all the pupils watched me via the live feed and were cheering me on."

Alan could not afford to buy his torch but it has been paid for from former Presteigne Mayor Councillor John Kendall's Mayor's fund.In Ludlow crowds lined the streets along the route for more than an hour before the torch arrived. Music played from speakers at the junction of Bull Ring,

Corve Street and Old Street and the town's deputy mayor Viv Parry led a civic welcome.

Festivities continued throughout the afternoon with a market in the town's market square and live music played on Castle Square, while bunting was hung up throughout the town and banners were designed for the occasion, including some by students at Ludlow College.

Dianne Yates, 50, who lives in Bucknell and works at CW Sellers jewellers in Ludlow, said: "There is such a wonderful spirit here - there is a real buzz."

Jane Perks, 54, a care assistant from Bridgnorth, said: "This is what the country needs - it is uplifting and a real boost for everyone. Everybody here is so happy and it is wonderful."

Margaret Edwards, who is from Ludlow, in her 40s and works at Poyners clothes shop in the town's Broad Street, said: "We are here to cheer on Team GB and fly our flag.

"It is wonderful to see Ludlow like this. The weather has been gorgeous and everyone is in the mood - it is an honour for the torch to come through the town."

Beverley Innes, 50, who is from Brimfield near Ludlow and is self-employed, who watched the torch come through the town with relatives, said: "We will never see this again in our lifetime and as soon as we knew the torch was coming here we decided we would make every effort to see it.

"It is a big day for a place like Ludlow and it has been a very good turn out."

Alice Bywater, 17, who lives in Onibury and studies at Ludlow College, was on Old Street to watch the torch arrive with friends. said: "It has been very exciting. I don't think we are ever likely to see it again and it has been a great experience."

Lorna Eppel, a 23-year-old beauty therapist, travelled from South Africa to visit relatives in the town - only to discover the torch would be coming through Ludlow. She said the same thing had happened last year when she visited at the same time as the Royal Wedding.

She said: I'm just very lucky - I came to see my nan and cousin and it just happens to be when the torch is coming through the town.

"It's great to see the torch in person and not just on TV, and it is great to be part of all the festivities."

Her cousin Angela Smith, 30, a council worker from Bishop's Castle, said: "It is a big occasion for people across south Shropshire - I know lots of people from Bishop's Castle have come here to see the torch.

"I tried to get tickets for the Olympics but failed to do so. But days like this don't come around too often so I think it is important to get involved in any way possible."

Lesley Pote, 70, who lives in Mill Street in Ludlow and is retired and watched the torch relay with her husband Robin, 68, said: "The town has been full of excitement and I'm really pleased to see so many people."

More than 30 pupils aged seven to nine from Leintwardine Endowed Primary School were among the loudest voices cheering at the junction of Station Drive and Gravel Hill when the torch arrived.

Dawn Higgins, 53, a teaching assistant at the school, said teacher Anne Watkins had been holding an Olymoic themed topic at the school and that the children had done their own wall display as part of the build up to the London 2012 Games.

Sylvia Cook, who works part time at a solicitor's firm and travelled from Bewdley to get involved in the occasion, said: "I didn't think it would be like this - it is fantastic and it is the way it should be."

The bunting was out in Clee Hill as young and old waving flags and cheering greeted the torch.

The village's tiny population was swelled as thousands of people lined the main street.

Betty Varnish, 77, of Clee Hill, who was watching the torch relay had more reason than most to be there as her grand-daughter, Jessica Varnish, could be heading to the Olympics this summer.

The 21-year-old, of Bromsgrove, could be competing in the track cycling team sprint with Victoria Pendleton.

Mrs Varnish said of the torch relay: "It has been absolutely wonderful. It puts the pride in Britain.

"The children have been great, they have been lovely and good, it has been fantastic."

Clare Wilson, 60, of Clee Hill, said: "I think it was really exciting. It was better than I expected.

"It was nice so many people came out and it was just wonderful to see. Usually we are quite a small village and when we put things on we get 30 or 40 people."

Mrs Wilson also runs the IT centre at Three Crosses Community Rooms where a live feed of the torch relay was set up.

Margaret Swift, 65, whose family runs Central Bakery and Swifts Bakers in the High Street, Clee Hill, said: "It was rather emotional when it passed.

It was good to be close to something like that. I just hope everybody in the village enjoyed it.

"I think we are privileged to have it come through here. Everyone was worked up to a frenzy by the time the torch came. It was quite an experience."

The bakery had got into the Olympic spirit by baking bread in the shape of torches, the Five Rings symbol and runners.

Five-year-old Keira Green, who goes to Clee Hill School, had made her own Olympic torch to greet the runners and was excited at seeing the real thing.

A number of schools, including Burford, Clee Hill, Tenbury Wells, Bishop Hooper and Bitterley Primarys, had brought along pupils who lined the route.

The bells of St Mary's Church rang out before the torch's arrival in Cleobury Mortimer.

In the shadow of the church's twisted spire thousands of people gathered on the pavement eagerly awaiting the bearers and the Olympic flame.

The torch was preceded by a convoy of police and sponsorship vehicles, all of which were greeted with wild cheers from the crowd.

The pavements of Cleobury were also heaving with children Cleobury Mortimer Primary School shut down for the afternoon along with several others in the area.

About 1,400 children from local schools flooded onto the streets to enjoy the spectacle.

Bavita Williams, head teacher of Cleobury Mortimer Primary School, said: "It's a great day for the school and the whole community.

"It was a once in a life time opportunity and we are really excited to have been a part of it. Good luck to team GB."

Christian Wood, teacher at Lacon Childe, said: "The day started off at 10am for us with a sports event and a literary workshop including the Peggy the Pig Olympics book.

"It's been a brilliant day, fantastic. This gives the kids something to remember for the rest of their lives.

"Some of the children have posed with the torch and had their pictures taken with it as a memento.

"The teachers have given up their own time for this event and some of the children have been overcome with excitement."

Landlord of the Old Lion on Lower Street, Andrew Davies, 46, said he opened up early for the relay.

He said: "I don't normally open till 4pm but it's been very steady. It marks the start of a good summer with the Jubilee, European Championships and Olympics."

President of the Cleobury Mortimer branch of the Royal British Legion, Ron Breakwell (CORR), was marshalling his troops at the war memorial overlooking the relay route.

This included injured service men that clapped and cheered as the guttering torch flashed by.

Shropshire Councillor Madge Shineton, who helped organise the torch relay on behalf of the council, said everyone had entered into the spirit of the event.

"I think this relay is very special for Cleobury which is a village bordering on a town. It's these kinds of event which help with community cohesion."

Mrs Shineton held special praise for Mr Wood from Lacon Childe. She

added: "Without him we could not have done this."

Overhanging the torch relay and general jubilation was 573 meters of bunting stitched together from local volunteers at the Severn Hospice shop.

Craft Club organiser Cath Evans, 49, said: "We have made the bunting from unused clothing which would have otherwise been thrown away.

"We had about 12 to 15 volunteers help put it all together. We are delighted with how it looks."

In Leominster Paul Johnson, 48, who lives in Mill Street and is unemployed, said: "I had to come out with a camera as it is the most fabulous thing I have ever seen.

"There are thousands of people across the streets, all waving flags and getting into the spirit of it.

"The police have to have huge credit as the bikers have been getting the crowds into a right frenzy, waving and cheering and beeping their horns and sirens, it is great."

Chloe Summers, 21, from the town, added: "It made my day to see everyone having a good time. It's for the kids really, as it is something they will never forget and have with them forever."

In Far Forest and Callow Hill, hundreds of people lined the street, with residents enjoying picnics and barbecues in their front gardens.

Those in Far Forest got an added bonus when a massive aircraft staged a flyover as the torch passed through the village. The plane flew extremely low to loud cheers from the crowds.

Retired Lesley Jones, 68, said: "I have never seen the place come together like it before. The street was lined three or four people deep, while others were eating picnics in the garden.

"The icing on the cake was the flyover, but it seems nobody knows where it came from or if it was planned, but it could not have happened at a better moment."

By Andrew Morris, Peter Kitchen, Lisa Rowley and Peter Finch