Page 61 - br-june-2021

June 2021
We had a five minute wait for the
convoy to pass and as it did there
was a crescendo of noise as the
crowd erupted. The Coca Cola
bus was soon followed by ones
from Samsung and Lloyds Bank
followed in a crescendo of noise
and the atmosphere was electric!
They were flanked by police
motorcycle outriders adding to
the sense of occasion.
As I waited and chatted and
waved to everyone, a metropolitan police runner dressed in a grey t-shirt and
shorts came up to me. He was asking what I had done to earn my place in the
torch relay when around the sharp bend came Margaret, her torch ablaze and
held aloft.
We were to perform what they called “the kiss”
when she was to transfer the flame from her torch

to mine. One of the security runners stepped
forward and turned on the gas from the cylinder
in my torch and it was quickly alight. Here I was in
this moment of time with the Olympic flame and
was a small part of the greatest athletic show on
earth. I could not hide my delight, it was
awesome and an experience I will cherish and
never forget.

I guess most people can count on the fingers of
one hand, the unforgettable moments in their
lives; their marriage, the births of their children,
achieving a special goal. Well this was one of
those moments for me.
My first instinct was to jump for joy holding the flaming torch aloft for all to see. The
crowd whooped as I grinned like the Cheshire cat and set off down the road for
my 300 metre run. More friends were lining the route. There was Gerry, Gina, Bob,
Andrew, Adrian, Sue, Julien and Bernie. Also Phillip, Kasha, Will and Martha from
the village. Diana told me later that another friend Beverley said “After all the
years Bob taught my children to swim, I couldn’t let this moment pass”. I know
there were many more as well as the whole of Abbotsbury who were there but
the run was but a blur.
Now I am not a runner and it would have been easier for me to swim it. If the rain
had been even heavier that may have been possible but nothing was going spoil
my day. Just for once I felt like a star as the crowd willed me on and I was at the
centre of it all.

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