So earlier in the year I received an email that officially confirmed that I would be carrying the Olympic flame in July.  I was over the moon it was a dream come true.  I don’t ask for recognition for what I do but to get this was something else. 

My turn was to come on the 15th July but until a couple of weeks before hand I no clue where or when in Southampton.  Eventually a man from UPS delivered my pack which not only had my instructions in but the white tracksuit which as it turns out was very see through.  So the right choice of under ware on the day was going to be necessary.



On my bike I had been building towards reaching a 30,000 mile mark.  The day before I ran with the flame I was on the Isle of Wight ferry as it came over from the Isle of Wight.  Looking from the ferry I had seen nothing like it in Cowes. 

People lining the street all the way up the hill as Ellen Macarthur ran it down the hill.  The flame then came onboard the ferry in a self contained lamp. 



They lit it onboard with one of the security staff taking a chance to do an impression of Kate Winslet in Titanic with it.  It arrived in Southampton with hundreds of people lining the streets even though it was pouring down.  My turn was at 6:10 on the Sunday morning I thought to myself this would never happen for me. 

I had to meet the organizers at 4:40 am on Sunday morning.  As I walked through the streets at that time in my pure white torch bearer outfit i nervously avoided each night clubber on their way home who looked like they might be sick.  Something in my head thought something might go wrong. 



We arrived onboard the drop off bus and they checked our id.  I was runner number three out of seven that Sunday morning in Southampton.  Everyone running was so inspiring.  We were taken to the Holiday Inn so we could use the toilet at that time in the morning.  When we came back to the Guildhall Square more and more crowds were gradually arriving in a couple of hundred.  None of us could quite believe it. 



The bus then let the first runner off then dropped off the second runner.  The bus then moved forward to drop me off at London Road. 

I couldn’t believe my eyes hundreds of people were waiting for me but also there were my rowing club Coalporters and Southampton Amateur Rowing Club there with their club oars.  It was the most amazing site I ever saw and I was very emotional too.  I was handed the torch as I walked off the bus and waited for relay team to come. 



The lady who was running with the flame towards me had fostered 57 children.  Our torches joined which is referred to as the kiss.  The security runner turned on my flame using an allan key and off I went.  I jogged at a fairly slow pace but it seemed to go by so quickly.   My fiancé who never runs managed to just about keep up with me.  Before I knew it, it was all over.  I waited on the bus watching the hundreds of people up the avenue who were there to support the other runners.



The decommissioned my torch and I got to keep a life long memory.  I had been asked to visit a number of different venues.  The first was my rowing club where they were all very excited on that Sunday to pose for pictures. 



However I got to take part in a second relay that in Southampton.  There was another relay following which was an unofficial one I took part in that as well carrying the batton across the solent.  The aim of that challenge was to follow and over take the official relay. 



The following day I took it to my old primary school in Broadmayne the kids there were amazing.  They sang me a song called flying high and it was a joy to be there.  The I visited a hospice which was part of a trust that looked after mum when she had cancer.  It was just amazing to give them that experience. 

More people were to hold my torch as I began volunteering at the Olympics: Photos available at:

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