Passing though towns and villages from Barnard Castle in the west to Peterlee in the east and Consett to the north, moving down through Bishop Auckland and Newton Aycliffe in the south; thousands of people will get the chance to see the Olympic Flame pass through their community and feel part of a once in a lifetime moment.
LOCOG has unveiled the street level map which the Olympic Torch Relay will follow and the names of many of the inspirational people who will carry the Torch, including some of those who will do so in County Durham. The map gives important detail regarding not just the street level route but also the times the Relay will pass through. For County Durham the excitement begins when the Flame is carried into Consett on Saturday June 16 just after 4pm.
The spectacle then visits Tow Law, Esh and Langley Park on its way to the Durham County Council hosted free evening celebration event in Durham City that evening. On Sunday June 17 the Flame will be carried through communities including Sherburn, Sherburn Hill, Haswell Plough, Peterlee and Blackhall Colliery. Later the same day Sedgefield, Bishop Auckland, Shildon, Middridge and Newton Aycliffe welcome the Flame.
Amongst those who will bear the Torch with pride in the county is international cricketing star Paul Collingwood, who was nominated by Durham County Council.
Speaking of his confirmation as a Torchbearer Paul said: “As a Shotley Bridge boy, it makes me immensely proud to be asked to carry the Olympic Torch in County Durham. The Olympic Games is the biggest sporting event to take place in this country in my lifetime and to be associated with it in this way is an honour and a privilege, not only for me but for my family too. Sadly, since cricket is not an Olympic sport, I won’t ever get the chance to represent Great Britain at The Games, but this is the next best thing. So many great sporting figures have carried the Torch and to think that I have been asked to play a small part in that process is truly humbling.”