London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays
The Torch Relay is a key part of staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Steeped in symbolism and history, the Olympic Flame lighting in Olympia and handover of the Flame to the UK, represented the beginning of the London 2012 Games, while the moment the Paralympic Flame was extinguished represented the end of the UK’s seven year journey since winning the bid.
Olympic Torch Relay
More than a million people lined the streets of South West England as the Olympic Flame passed through 153 communities on route over 11 days in the region. The Olympic Torch Relay started from Land’s End on 19 May, and there were eight overnight celebrations - in Plymouth, Exeter, Taunton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Salisbury, Weymouth & Portland, and Bournemouth.
Paralympic Torch Relay
The region hosted three Paralympic Flame Celebrations over the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2012 – in Bath, Plymouth and Weymouth and Portland. Flame Ambassadors from each location travelled to London and brought back a ‘splinter’ of the English Paralympic Flame to the celebrations in their areas which promoted disability sport and the start of the Paralympic Games.