Just been to Winslow in Buckinghamshire to see the local leg of the Olympic Torch Relay… bough the £2 flag and stood with my wonderful family to watch it… Matt was a little overwhelmed by the noise.
We chose Winslow over our own home town for two reasons. The first is that my town is big and sprawling and Winslow is a small village type town with one high street that the torch would be going through. Second, Matt goes to school near there.
There was a convoy of buses and drummers and I am not afraid to admit I got a bit teary eyed with pride. The actual torch itself that this runner was carrying was very pretty and the flame was a very moving thing to see.
I have read other people were underwhelmed by seeing the flame. Maybe I was emotional because I was stood with Matthew and just across the road was the rest of his school – all of whom have special needs.
They had all made flags and torches and one boy actually grabbed his school-made torch and ran a short length of the closed off high street. The cheers were deafening, as was the happy laughter, which was cool. People in Winslow know about Matt's school and welcome the kids with open arms. They are incredibly patient and share in the school's successes.
The procession itself could have been more. More music, maybe the national anthem, some dancing… still, getting what there was of it through towns and villages must have been a logistical nightmare.
Want to know about the history around my area – see my article on the Olympic Torch journey – Day 52 Great Train Robberies, The Enigma Machine, and Highwaymen/
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