Olympic Torch Relay

This page provides a update on the announcement by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) that the Borough of Oadby and Wigston will be a community on route for the Olympic Torch Relay. The page contains information about the Torch Relay and the related links at the bottom of the page provides links to LOCOG and trading standards which gives advice to businesses.

Council’s Olympian to organise borough 'welcome' for London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay

We are proud to confirm that on Monday 2 July 2012, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay will visit the Borough of Oadby and Wigston. As a host location our borough extends an invitation to all our local residents and surrounding communities to welcome the Olympic Flame and share in the excitement the relay will bring.

The borough is one of over 1,000 villages, towns and cities announced by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games through which the Olympic Flame will be carried by torch-bearers during the torch relay, which is presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung. Full details of the route will be announced closer to the time. On 27 July, 2012, the eyes of the world will be on London for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games as the flame arrives at the Olympic Stadium for the lighting of the cauldron to signify the start of the Games.

Councillor John Boyce, Leader of Oadby and Wigston Borough Council said: 'It is great to link Oadby and Wigston to a national event. We are thrilled that the torch is coming to the borough, we feel it is a fantastic opportunity for all of our community to get involved locally with sports and healthy living.'

The Council employs a double Olympian as its Leisure Development officer, Avril Lennox MBE. Avril is playing a key role in organising local 2012 events and said: 'As a former competitor I have stood in two stadia and witnessed the breath taking spectacle of the torch arriving and being lit to start the games. Now, we will all get to see and be part of the torch coming to our borough, what a fantastic moment for our community and its residents to be part of the world's biggest sporting event.'

Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG said: 'We are thrilled to confirm that the Borough of Oadby and Wigston will act as host location for the Olympic Flame, extending an invitation to people in Oadby and Wigston and the surrounding areas to welcome the Olympic Torch Relay during its journey round the UK. This is the UK's moment to shine and I want to encourage people across Leicestershire to start planning how they can be part of this once in a lifetime opportunity and show their support for the inspirational torch-bearers chosen to carry the Olympic Flame as we count down to the start of the Olympic Games.'

The Olympic Torch Relay

The 70 day Olympic Torch Relay, will start at Land's End, Cornwall on the morning of 19 May 2012. On leaving Land's End, the Olympic Flame will travel an estimated 8,000 miles round the UK giving thousands of communities and individuals their moment to shine as the Olympic Flame comes to a place near them.

In announcing the villages, towns and cities LOCOG has realised the aspiration of taking the Olympic Flame to within an hour journey time of 95 per cent of the population. In fact, over 95 per cent of the population will be within just 10 miles of the Olympic Flame next summer.

The Olympic Flame will be carried across the UK by 8,000 inspirational torch-bearers each of whom will have a story of personal achievement or contribution to the local community. In December last year, successful nominees were contacted with a conditional offer and final torch-bearer places are now being confirmed.

LOCOG has also launched two new public participation programmes. The 'Local Leaders' initiative is an invitation to people to take the 2012 Games into their community and create their own celebrations for the Olympic Torch Relay and other key moments during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. People are encouraged to sign up to the Local Leader programme to receive further information on a range of themed celebration ideas focusing on the Opening Ceremony evening, gardening, quizzes and barbecues and be in the front row to receive free London 2012 event materials to support events.

Also launched is the Get Set for the Olympic Torch Relay education resource, available to all schools registered with Get Set, London 2012’s official education programme. The aim of the resource is to provide schools with cross-curricular resources aimed at teachers working with 3 to 16 year olds to aid learning around history of Olympic Torch Relays, the design of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay and the torch itself. A further education resource has been launched to encourage schools to plan a welcome for the Olympic Flame and show support for the torch-bearers. Lloyds TSB, official Education Partner of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, have launched their Flame Followers schools programme which compliments the Get Set resources and gives schools once-in-a-lifetime opportunity be right at the heart of the excitement and celebrations of the relay.

Advice for business from trading standards

If you are thinking of using the Olympics to grow interest in your products or services, you should take great care to make sure that you will not be risking action from the organisers (The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games - LOCOG) or other enforcement agencies. The following leaflet has been prepared by Leicestershire Trading Standards and offers important advice to local businesses.

Trading Standards - Staying legal during the Olympics (PDF Document, 78.12 Kb)