TORCH ARRIVES IN HARBOROUGH: SEE GALLERY OF PHOTOS HERE
Harborough torchbearer Dean Barnett with the Olympic flame in Church Street, Harborough. Pic by Andrea Such
AN ENTHUSIAST crowd of several thousand people greeted the arrival of the Olympic torch through Harborough today.
It arrived in town at Rockingham Road, near to Ashley Way, at about 3.20pm, having just taken a tour of the picturesque village of Dingley in the district.
Click on the ‘gallery’ link on the right, to see photos.
The drizzle did nothing to deter the crowds, as people lined the streets to watch the torch as it passed.
After moving down Rockingham Road, it took a turn onto St Mary’s Road before heading down Adam and Eve Street, past the town’s iconic Old Grammar School building, into Church Street, turning back onto High Street before making its way to Coventry Road and onwards to Lubenham, Foxton and Kibworth.
The raincoat-wearing crowds in town – interspersed with numerous umbrellas – waved flags, blew whistles and craned their necks for the best view of the torch.
It was short and sweet for most, as many spectators queued for more than an hour to watch what amounted to less than a minute of actual torch-viewing.
Before popular torchbearer Dean Barnett could do his leg of the relay through town, a parade of trucks from sponsors Samsung, Coca Cola and Lloyds passed by with loud sound systems blaring.
People tried all sorts to get a good view, including one man who sat on top of a post box in Church Square, and hundreds of mobile phones could be seen held aloft to capture footage of the historic moment.
Margaret Kenny, who was watching from her Kenny’s underwear shop in Coventry Road, said: “It was just amazing, a magical atmosphere. You could really feel the excitement of the crowds.”
Another spectator, Brian Wigley, of Kibworth, said: “The atmosphere was great and to think that so many people have bothered to turn up, particularly as Andy Murray is playing this afternoon at Wimbledon.”
Many of the town’s office workers and shop staff opted for the dry and warmth of their premises to see the spectacle.
There were also several fun attractions at Symington’s Recreation Ground, before and after the torch procession.
Although some had to be called off because of the wet weather, lots of people still went down to the Rec to meet and have their picture taken with Harborough torchbearers Dean Barnett and Rob Gomez.
*What did you think of the day? Send a tweet to @harbmail or email us at newsdesk@harboroughmail.co.uk.
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Weather for Market Harborough
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Heavy rain
Temperature: 4 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 32 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 5 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North
