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Hertfordshire's Olympic Torchbearers will be proudly making history this weekend...

A total of around 7,000 have been chosen to take part in the 8,000 mile relay across the Country.

The flame will light up Hertfordshire towns on July 7th, with torchbearers in in Waltham Cross at the Olympic venue before heading to Hertford, Ware and Bishop's Stortford.

The next day (July 8th) it will be Stevenage, Letchworth, Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield's turn where it will go from the town centre past the Galleria and to the University.

Meet The Torchbearers: Hertford (July 7th)

*Charlotte Brown
Age: 60
Hometown: Berkhamsted

*Jools Smart
Age: 38
Hometown: Hertfordshire

*Neil Burgess
Age: 45
Hometown: Hertfordshire

*Shelley Sheridan
Age: 49
Hometown: Tring

Meet The Torchbearers: Ware (July 7th)

*Avelino Lorente
Age: 31
Hometown: San Adrian

*Bill Goode
Age: 86
Hometown: Welwyn Garden City

*Chloe Halfhide
Age: 34
Hometown: Ware

*Jinsen Wang
Age: 58
Hometown: Tianjin

*Sally Glossop
Age: 48
Hometown: Ware

Meet The Torchbearers: Waltham Cross (July 7th)

*Russell Taylor
Age: 33
Hometown: Hornchurch

*Debbie Evans
Age: 56
Hometown: Hertford

*Julie Boxer
Age: 40
Hometown: Essex

*Lei Qiang
Age: 41
Hometown: Beijing

Meet The Torchbearers: Welwyn Garden City (July 8th)

*Emma Boon
Age: 21

Emma is from Wheathampstead and presently studies at Leeds University. Her nomination read: "Emma is an inspiration, she is a keen, enthusiastic and dedicated founder member of our Scout Network group. She is independent and self-motivated as proved by the fact that she earned her Queen’s Scout Award with little or no help from anyone else. She enjoys helping others and in a bid to help other people have the scouting experiences she had, has been a Young Leader with Beavers in Hertfordshire since she was 14. At university she wasted no time in finding a needy group to work with and is now a Beaver leader in a relatively deprived area of Leeds, working with varied ethnicities and backgrounds.

She has personally helped several children with behavioural and social problems to ensure they can still access and benefit from scouting. When still at school, though busy with A level studies, Emma fundraised and undertook a trip to Ghana with her Explorer Unit where, using the funds they had raised and labour provided by themselves, they built a community centre for the Ghanaian scouts.

They had no building background or experience simply a ‘can do’ attitude. In their ‘spare’ time they worked in orphanages and schools installing computers discarded by British companies, so young Ghanaians could acquire the IT skills they need to qualify for a secondary school place. So successful was this venture that the local township has asked the scouts of our district to go back again this year to equip a mother’s room at the local hospital and refurbish a school for the deaf."

*Emily Robinson
Age: 16
Hometown: West Drayton

*Felix Malahoo
Age: 47
Hometown: Luton

*Frederick Gormer
Age: 62
Hometown: Stevenage

*Leanne Wellings
Age: 37
Hometown: High Wycombe

*Mark Bicknell
Age: 32
Hometown: Welwyn Garden City

*Michael Seres
Age: 42
Hometown: Radlett

*Richard Sutton
Age: 19
Hometown: Hatfield

*Rosi Jordon
Age: 57

*Tom Isaacs
Age: 43
Hometown: Rickmansworth

Meet The Torchbearers: Hatfield (July 8th)

Alice Breheny
Age: 38
Hometown: Rickmansworth

David Pope
Age: 51
Hometown: Peterborough

Jack Gatehouse
Age: 12
Hometown: Hemel Hempstead

Joanna Hancock
Age: 33
Hometown: Harpenden

Keith Butten
Age: 45
Hometown: Hulcote

Kyle Hendrickson
Age: 24
Hometown: Luton

Sam Mccann
Age: 36
Hometown: High Wycombe

Steve Ells
Age: 51
Hometown: Waltham Cross

Talya Jacobson
Age: 17
Hometown: Borehamwood

Meet The Torchbearers: Stevenage (July 8th)

*Carol Lewis
Age: 55
Hometown: Cuffley

*Gobi Ranganathan
Age: 35

*John Mayor
Age: 53
Hometown: Stevenage

*Luca Wells
Age: 12
Hometown: Stevenage

An Olympic Torchbearer from Stevenage says he still can't believe he's been given the chance to carry the flame...

Luca Wells, who's only five months older than the UK's youngest 12 year-old Torchbearer, was nominated by his P.E. teacher at Thomas Alleyne school.

Hear Luca chatting with JACK fm's Bryan Rutherford on the audio player below...




*Peter Norris
Age: 28
Hometown: Hemel Hempstead

*Robert Mcvey
Age: 20
Hometown: Tring

Meet The Torchbearers: Letchworth (July 8th)

*Philip Goodall
Age: 27
Hometown: Buntingford

Philip's nomination read: "An amazing, inspirational young man. Has overcome severe learning difficulties, acute dyspraxia and being unable to speak to live life to the full: Keen athlete - regularly takes part in Special Olympics, has won numerous medals. Trains each week in the gym, swims in galas and competitions and attends a fitness club. Caring and compassionate - moved by the plight of orphans in Romania to organise a sponsored swim raising £1,000 for the Firm Foundation charity’s hospital in Brasov. Community minded - a section helper in the 1st Braughing cubs since 2006, maracas player in the Scout Band and valued member of his local church. Great fun - loves gang shows and military tattoos, authority on the Eurovision Song Contest and collects full-sized national flags. Philip would be so proud to carry the torch and would be backed by locals, church members, Cubs, Scouts and colleagues from Special Olympics, who all support him."

*Celia Watson
Age: 54
Hometown: Hitchin

Celia's nomination read: "Celia is a runner, rock climber and mountaineer and has inspired many friends to try new adventurous activities enriching their lives: "I intend to continue to encourage friends to challenge themselves by trying out new experiences particularly activities that will lead them into a more active outdoor lifestyle. Trying out a potentially frightening activity like rock climbing often leads to a real feeling of achievement that increases self confidence in all areas of someone's life. Friends have told me that the fact that I encouraged them to try an adventurous sport like rock climbing or ghyll scrambling has given them the courage to try other activities such as paragliding sailing or hill walking. I think these friends are now fitter and more confident and more able to live life and enjoy it to the full.”

*Charlotte Wharton
Age: 16
Hometown: Sandy

*Claire Yeo
Age: 34
Hometown: Stanstead Abbotts

*James Bentall
Age: 35
Hometown: Hatfield

*Janet Green
Age: 73
Hometown: Biggleswade

*John Harris
Age: 49
Hometown: Baldock

John's nomination read: "Through coaching sport in schools and clubs I want to have a positive impact on the future of children and for them to be the best they can. Being involved in sport/education for 8 years voluntarily and work I have seen how sport has a positive impact on the behaviour of young people. As I write young people are on the streets causing significant damage to other people's lives. I dream that all young people have access to quality out of schools provision not only in sport but other activities that will take them away from crime and also from poor lifestyles (inactivity in front of computers/tv and unhealthy diets). I have achieved a number of qualifications in sport to provide young people with the best coaching I can. I have run 7 Marathons raising over £5000 for charities to give others a chance - Dreams Come True. I hope being a torchbearer will inspire many young people.”

*Sue Miller
Age: 70
Hometown: Royston

Sue's nomination read: "This lady has over a long period of time organised and run our Local History Society, our Orwell Archive Group and has also persuaded local government to transfer to our village an area of land called Chapel Orchard . This green area is not only a tranquil space for a stroll or a place to sit and relax but is also a wildlife area. Without her efforts this would have become just another housing estate. Sue organises various events for the village including picnics, treasure and Easter Egg hunts in Chapel Orchard and also arranges for its upkeep by groups of volunteers. A Christmas Tree and lighting ceremony every Christmas along with mulled wine, mince pies and carol singing is also on the list. If anyone deserves some sort of recognition Sue does for her tireless work in keeping our village community spiriit alive and its history available for all to see."

*Tony Tillbrooke
Age: 72
Hometown: Cambridgeshire

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