Olympic Flame Comes To Wandsworth On July 23rd


And borough will also host one of the evening celebrations

The route of the Olympic flame as it passes through Wandsworth has been announced.

Olympic organisers LOCOG have confirmed that the Olympic torch relay will pass through the borough on three separate days. Wandsworth has also been chosen to host one of the evening celebrations.

The Olympic Flame will arrive in the UK from Greece on May 18th and the 70 day Torch Relay will start at Land's End the following day. It will travel around 8,000 miles across the UK and arrive at the Olympic Stadium on 27th July for the lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony, signifying the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The main chance to see the torch will be when it enters the borough from the All England Club at around 5.30pm on July 23rd. It will then travel the following route:

  • Wimbledon Park Road
  • Granville Road
  • Merton Road ,
  • Kimber Road
  • Garratt Lane
  • Upper Tooting Road
  • Tooting Bec Road
  • Elmbourne Road
  • Dr Johnson Avenue

The torch is expected to arrive at Tooting Bec Common between 6.30pm and 7pm. The free evening event, which starts at 5pm, will be in full swing and a Celebration Cauldron will be lit on stage to mark its arrival. As well as the chance to see the iconic flame, the celebration will include music and entertainment.

With the exception of Dr Johnson Avenue, roads will not be closed. However, there will be some delays for traffic as the torch convoy passes through, so rush hour drivers may wish to find an alternative route.

Battersea residents will get a chance to see the torch at around 2pm on July 26th. It will pass along Cedars Road and Queenstown Road en route from Lambeth to Chelsea Bridge .

It will make a final appearance as it travels down the Thames from Hampton Court to Tower Bridge on July 27th.

The identities of some of the torchbearers have been revealed.

12 year old Holly Holmes, born with epilepsy, a form of autism and the physical condition hemiplegia, has inspired people to raise thousands of pounds for charity because of her cheerful and courageous personality.

Local teenager Tim Livingstone was a double gold medal winner in the 2010 London Youth Games and is the GB Indoor Rowing J14 Record Holder. He also plays basketball for the London Region, has been selected for the UK Sport Tall and Talented 2016 Olympics Programme, won gold in the 800m Surrey County Championships and currently has a UK Athletics ranking of 12th for 1500m

Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: "Today we bring the Olympic Torch Relay to life. The Flame symbolises the Olympic spirit and its journey around the UK will bring the excitement of the Games to our streets. Now the people know the route the Olympic Flame will be carried along and the Torchbearers for their community, they can start planning how they might celebrate and make it Wandsworth's moment to shine."

For a full map of the route, including proposed start times, and a list of torchbearers running through Wandsworth, go to www.london2012.com/olympictorchrelay.

For other information about the Olympics in Wandsworth, including useful links, go to www.wandsworth.gov.uk/olympics.



March 20, 2012