Olympic Torch - Huntingdon

July 8th, 2012 at 08.19

Meet Your Torchbearers

	Name: Alun James Hometown: London Age: 48 Nomination: Alun has played a significant role in developing the sports industry in the UK, providing strategic counsel, problem solving and issues and crisis management to clients, whether rights holders or commercial partners. He played a role in leading the London 2012 big team to success, working alongside their communications team. Prior to that he helped to develop the marketing and communications of the Internation Tennis Federation. More recently he established Four Sports, Arts & Sponsorship which has won a number of awards in the industry. An active sportsman (rugby, golf, skiing and cricket) Alun ran a marathon earlier this year to raise awareness of and funds for wildlife conservation. His passion for sport influences everyone he works with.
	Name: Bryn Percival Hometown: Huntingdon Age: 31 Nomination:  He is always willing to put his group first always listens if you need to talk. Lovely kind and Caring supportive passionate MY HERO!My dream is to be the best coach I can so I can match the determination and dedication of all my athletes. To be able to provide all the opportunities that are possible for them and help them reach all the goals that they set for themselves be it olympic gold or just being able to race for my club. Above all I want them to have bright futures and become happy and confident adults. I hope one day to be able to go to the olympics and watch one of my athletes compete some of my most proud moments have come from watching my athletes compete and grow as people so to see that i think would be the pinicle of all the work I and they put in. I also hope to finish my degree as a mature student and then become the best PE teacher I can.
	Name: Catherine Eastham Hometown: Kingston Age: 41 Nomination: Catherine has been actively involved in sport both in her career and personal life for the past decade. She has been the women;s team manager and a committee member of her local athletics club, Belgrave Harriers, for ten years. This winter will be the first season when she will be competing rather than organising the team. Catherine has also been an active volunteer at major sports events in London, including the London Marathon, Tour de France, Tour of Britain and the triathlon spring series in Hyde Park. Outside of sport Catherine also spends eight Christmases volunteering for the homeless charity, Crisis, with six years as an assistance shift leader at the Quiet Shelter.
	Name: Catherine Potterton Hometown: Bournmouth Age: 25 Nomination: Since 2008 Catherine has served as a trustee of the UK Charity Brittle Bone Society. Through her dedication, Catherine ensured that the annual youth event VOICE was inaugurated in 2010, researching and planning the pilot event and analysing and reporting outcomes in order to secure funding for the 2011 event. Catherine provided planning, analysis, fundraising, writing and advocacy, making it possible to reach and give a voice to 16-30 year olds with OI in this annual event, as well as fundraising and attending meetings throughout the UK on behalf of the Brittle Bone Society at large.
	Name: Dilshan Senanayake Hometown: Watford Age: 43 Nomination: Through John Lewis's Partners in Sports programme (in collaboration with Sports Coach UK) I want to facilitate coach training opportunities for more individuals. Presently I have introduced upto 45 of John Lewis' partners into coaching a sport of their choice. The hope is they will go out to their communities and impart this knowledge which will help more children get proper basic skills not only in a specific sport but also for really younger children balance, agility, coordination skills. The confidence they gain from the ability to do well in a sport will naturally lead to a more healthier and disciplined life style. This is my dream and my goal.
	Name: Jonathan Edwards Hometown: Peterborough Age: 56 Nomination: Jonathon to me is an incredible man, his story, his adoration, his love and generosity, are the reasons I am nominating him today. I have known Jonathon as my mums boyfriend for just under a year. Jonathon, my mother and I, moved into a new home on 01/10/2010.. On 03/10/2010 My mum suffered from a severe brain haemorrhage, In the space of two days, our happy family was falling apart. Defying odds, my mum is with us,He visits her every single day, without him my mums life would be so different. With his support and motivation, mum is learning to speak and walk again. He provides support for other patients too, a conversation and a joke. Encouragement and praise. When the time comes for mum to return home, Jonathon will be here to care for her.
	Name: Matthew Dawson Hometown: Cambridgeshire Age: 16 Nomination: I am a paediatrician working at Great Ormond Street Hospital and first met Matthew Dawson as a newborn baby when he was brought in by his family. He had multiple abnormalities including heart defects, a critically narrow windpipe and bilateral leg deformities. As a toddler he had many operations including amputations of both his legs and complicated cardiac investigations and spent long periods of his early young life in hospital. He was often very breathless and the very effort of breathing could leave him blue and sweating. Despite all these considerable and often life threatening disabilities, he was always a cheerful, positive child. Throughout his childhood and teenage years he has strived against all these difficulties, playing competitive sport including cricket and table tennis and fully participating in life using two artificial legs.
	Name: Melanie Hare Hometown: Sandy Age: 43 Nomination: For 12 years, Mel has given her time to the police. Recently whilst on duty, she saved somebody's life. They had been in a motorbike accident. Her colleague walked away leaving Mel to do first aid & get them to hospital on her own
	Name: Reg Whittaker Hometown: Warboys Age: 91 Nomination: Reg Whittaker is 90 years of age. He has been fit all his life (boxing, football referee). He worked for many years as a local special needs teacher and headmaster and has been a pillar of the community (British Legion, Masons, RAFA, running hospital shop etc.). What many people do not know - and something that we only recently discovered when he was awarded the Bletchley Park Medal - is that he was in Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the war. He is the last of the few.
	Name: Sara Dunling Hometown: Newmarket Age: 29 Nomination: Sara has taken up one of the key themes relating to the legacy of London 2012 in the work that she has been doing to inspire health, wellbeing and performance across The NHS workforce based in The East of England. She is one of those people who doesn't just talk the talk, but in a quiet and considered way has rolled up her sleeves and designed and delivered programmes that have directly inspired in excess of 2,000 people to participate and take ownership of their health and wellbeing. Indirectly Sara's work would, no doubt, have inspired many more.

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