The Olympic Torch Comes to Fulham

---

Thousands line roads to cheer its arrival on eve of Games

Thousands of enthusiastic people lined Fulham and North End Roads to greet the Olympic Torch as it reached the borough on Thursday July 26 - the eve of the opening of the Olympic Games.

The excitement built outside Stamford Bridge around 2pm as the crowds waited for their first glimpse of the torch.

Cheers filled the air as the torch arrived, held aloft by mum Georgina Moseley, who was carrying it in memory of her son Harry. Harry was nominated to be a torchbearer by John Terry for raising £700,000 for Brain Tumour charities, but tragically passed away last year.

At 2.05pm Georgie handed the torch to rugby star Lawrence Dallaglio, who carried it past Chelsea Football Clun to the sounds of  Chariots of Fire.

He handed over to fellow rugby star Lewis Moody, who then gave it to 19 year old Sureena Sharma, who was nominated for her sterling mentor work in her school and tireless fundraising for the NSPCC.

As the torch travelled around Fulham Broadway and onto North End Road, it was taken over by a succession of torchbearers -  19 year-old Sureena Sharma, nominated for mentor work at school and tireless fundraising for the NSPCC; Emma Harley, a 28 year-old A&E nurse who has led groups of British young people to Kenya to work on charity projects in severely disadvantaged communities and Lydia Mantle  who gives up her own time to help run a youth club in Hammersmith every Friday night.

On North End Road, it was taken over by Bridget Stevenson, a part of the Hammersmith community for over 40 years, having run the St John Ambulance team, the local St Peters Festival and now in charge of the Brownies and at 2.27pm the torch was passed to Samantha Timms, who manages to find time for voluntary work as well as being a full-time carer for her mother who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.

The torch route turned right at the top of North End Road, leaving the borough for Kensington and Chelsea before re-emerging in Shepherd's Bush half an hour later, where the torchbearers included St Bruce Forsyth.

Crowds on North End Road. Pic - Nick Coombs

Crowds on North End Road. Pic - Nick Coombs

The torchbearers for the Borough are Antoine De Navacelle, Bridget Stevenson, Catherine Nicoll, Chris Basiurski, Dan Cooper, Eileen Hobson, Emma Harley, Felix Allocca, George Fielding, Georgie Moseley, Lydia Mantle, Mary Mangan, Maurizio Stroppiana, Ollie Boylan, Penny Midgley, Permie Dadhiala, Samantha Timms, Sophie Papps and Sureena Sharma.

You can read more about them and their stories here.

Local people will also get a second chance to see the Torch on Friday, July 27 as it passes on the river onboard the Royal barge Gloriana. The boat is expected to reach Furnivall Gardens in Hammersmith around 10.30am and Putney Bridge shortly afterwards on its way to Tower Bridge and then to Stratford for the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on Friday evening.

 

July 25, 2012