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If you have a special event happening in honour of the Olympic Torch Relay, please let us know and we will list it here for free!
The Torch Route Through OxfordThe torch will arrive in Oxford on Monday 9th July, have an overnight stay and then leave again bright (?) and early on the morning of Tuesday 10th from Iffley Road Stadium, the home of Roger Bannister's record breaking 4 minute mile. "View Olympic Flame route in Oxford in a larger map For those who want to line the streets and cheer (or those who wish to avoid the crowds), here is a breakdown of the Torch's path: Monday 9th July 201217:15 Horspath Road17:15 BMW plant site entrance 17:19 BMW plant entrance lane 17:33 BMW Assembly Plant exit lane 17:33 B480 Watlington Road 17:39 Cuddeston Way 17:47 Blackbird Leys Road 17:55 Barns Road 18:03 B4495 Between Towns Road 18:05 B480 Oxford Road 18:11 B480 Cowley Road 18:32 A420 St Clement's Street 18:37 Morrell Avenue 18:46 Warneford Lane 18:46 South Park Celebration Stage Tuesday 10th July 201207:15 Iffley Road Stadium07:15 Iffley Road Stadium, track 07:16 Pathway 07:17 Oxford University Rugby Pitch path 07:18 Oxford University Rugby rugby pitch path 07:19 Iffley Road 07:28 B4495 Donnington Bridge Road Road Closures / Transportback to topIn case you haven't seen the bright yellow signs stapled to the lamp posts along Cowley Road, you can indeed EXPECT DELAYS on both Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Bus services will be disrupted (view full info on the Oxford Bus & Stagecoach websites) and Cowley Road (from Magdalen Road to The Plain) itself will be closed be closed from 4-7pm on Monday 9th. There are also rolling road closures until 11pm on the 9th (details here) which will affect much of East Oxford, especially those roads that join either Oxford Road, St Clements or Morrell Avenue. Due to the shindig in South Park there will also be a number of extra parking prohibitions and road closures.
The rolling road closures begin again on Tuesday morning at 5.30am, from Iffley Road, to 10.30am, at Meadow Lane. The static road closures also affect Kidlington, Wallingford and Henley so if you live / work in or want to get in to / out of any of these areas on the 9th and 10th, it's definitely worth having a peruse of the potential disruptions. Eventsback to topEvening Celebrations in South Park Tickets for South Park's evening celebrations are now, unfortunately, SOLD OUT. Still plenty of space to cheer on the Torchbearers though; venues along the route will be open for toasting the Torch as it gets borne past! At approximately 6.45pm on Monday 9th July, the Olympic Torch will reach South Park and be ushered in with much ceremony (presumably without ticket - if you are not a torch / torchbearer you will definitely need a ticket to assure your entry). Gates open at 3.30pm for picnicking purposes and from 5 - 7.30pm there is the official Olympic Torch Relay Celebration. The London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (or, more succinctly, LOCOG) have orchestrated a champion musical menu, including fairly funky alternative rock band Young Guns, fresh from their European tour. From 7.30pm, the Festival of Oxford officially begins. There follows 2 hours of both musical and athletic delights. One sporty stall we at the office are particularly excited about is the The Oxford Archers' have-a-go archery range, a great chance for anyone (as long as you're old enough to hold a bow!) to get a taste of this unique Olympic sport. Once you've had your fill of all the active activities there is plenty more to entertain you. Local folk musicians, storytellers and theatre groups will be joined by clowns, dancers and comedy acts; promised international highlights include a dance team called Ugar Purple Spider from Australia and Vilentango, a tango / rock fusion band from Argentina. There is even talk of a trampoline. And QUIDDITCH. At 9.30pm there is the performace of The Tree of Light. This is a rather enigmatic collaborative art project involving over 1200 performers from around Oxford. There will be an original score by composer Orlando Gough and the light display is apparently going to be powered by pedal power and creativity alone! Programme
Getting to the CelebrationsAs mentioned above, the parking is going to be, well, a nightmare (that is, of course, if you manage to navigate the road closures). A perfect opportunity to leave the car at home and go for a brisk July stroll, scoot, skate or cycle. Events along the RouteA number of pubs along the routes have been chalking up their signboards with invitations to cheer the Torch on Monday evening, while sipping your beverage of choice. Some establishments have even decided to open for the breakfast run - The Magdalen Arms is opening for its stage of the route at (approx) 7.19am! Public LoosIn addition to the usual public loos along the route, a number of businesses have kindly agreed to open their facilities to the hordes to increase capacity (presumably since all the UK's portaloos are already booked for the Olympics themselves). Here's a full list of what's available where, when:
How Do I Get Involved?back to top"We are saluting the dedication of sportspeople from all over world in reaching the heights of achievement in their chosen discipline, and the courage of the Paralympians who have had to battle against adversity to reach these Games...I would like to encourage everyone to come out, line the streets and welcome the inspirational torchbearers to the city." Councillor Bob Price, Leader of Oxford City Council There are some rather lovely (and very kid-friendly) ideas for how to get into the Olympic spirit on a pdf by the London 2012 committee. These include a recipe for flame fairy cakes and Dick and Dom's 'How To ' guide on making flaming maracas. If you are planning on lining the streets for the Olympic Torch, the London 2012 Committee have asked that you let them know through their Local Leaders team - in the hope perhaps that you might inspire others. Local Torchbearersback to topThere are many locals that have been asked to carry the Torch, some of them through Oxford. Do you think you might know somebody who's been asked to carry the Torch? Check out the list below. You can also follow the Torch on Twitter (#London2012TorchRelay) to get up-to-the-minute updates. Names of TorchbearersMonday 9th July Bicester
Tuesday 10th July Oxford
Daily Info Staff (Unverified), 13/06/12 Ads by Daily Info:  Browse ads by tag: |
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