Olympic Torch - Welwyn Garden City

July 8th, 2012 at 13.41

Which roads will be closed?

We anticipate the following road will be closed from 7am until 5pm on 8 July:

• Stonehills

A ‘rolling roadblock’ will follow the movement of the Olympic Torch Relay; as such one carriageway will be closed along the route in the direction of travel while the Olympic Torch Relay passes. This will cause some delay. The opposite carriageway will be open for traffic to move as normal.

Parking:
You are encouraged to travel to either Welwyn Garden or Hatfield using another method of transport other than driving, if possible.

Where can I park?
On street parking: In Welwyn Garden City, Parkway and the town centre in Stonehills have parking bays suspended. No parking will be allowed on these roads the parking will be suspended from 3pm on Saturday 7 July 2012 until 5pm Sunday 8 July 2012. French Horn Lane in Hatfield will also have parking restrictions in place on Sunday 8 July 2012 (from 4pm on Saturday 7 July 2012) Car parks: All council car parks will be open on 8 July 2012 and will be FREE to park. Sainsbury’s and Howard Centre in Welwyn Garden City will also have FREE parking on 8 July 2012.

Welwyn Garden City – suggested parking locations

o Campus West car park
o Campus East (upper and lower) car parks
o Hunters Bridge car park (multi-storey, Bridge Road)
o Osborn Way car park
o Church Road car park
o Sainsbury’s
o Howard Centre
o Howard Centre (multi-storey) car park
o Stanborough Park (north and south) car parks.

Hatfield – suggested parking locations

o The Commons car park
o Link Drive car park
o Dog Kennel Lane car park
o Lemsford Road car park
o Hatfield station car park.

You are encouraged to travel to either Welwyn Garden or Hatfield using another method of transport other than driving, if possible.

When can I park there?
To avoid queues and a shortage of parking spaces in either town on the day, it is suggested that you arrive by midday on 8 July 2012. This will give you time to enjoy the festivities and find your spot on the OTR route with plenty of time to spare.  You are encouraged to travel to either Welwyn Garden or Hatfield using another method of transport other than driving, if possible.

Will parking be FREE?
Parking in council owned car parks in Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield will be FREE on Sunday 8 July 2012 only to avoid congestion. Parking in other car parks may vary. If you intend to park on the street, please take notice of any parking restrictions that may apply.

Where can I park if I hold a Blue Badge?
A limited number of parking for Blue Badge holders will be available on Howardsgate, however we envisage that this may be used quickly. Alternatively please use any of the council car parks.

How will buses be affected?
Buses should remain largely unaffected expect for during the passing of the OTR, when buses, like all other traffic will be delayed behind the OTR.

Meet Your Torchbearers

	Name: Emily Robinson Hometown: West Drayton Age: 16 Nomination: My daughter Emily has always held a keen interest in Sport and her desire is to be a PE Teacher. The Olympics coming to London has not only given her renewed drive to succeed in her studies but will give her focus on the teamwork and personal goal setting required to achieving her full potential. I truly believe being exposed to the Olympic s will help her grow as an individual and take an active role in the wider society of the UK. Emily is active in netball, swimming and running and is part of the local Explorer scout unit where she has flourished in organising and participating outdoor activities such as trekking in Snowdonia, rock climbing, kayaking and camping.
	Name: Emma Boon Hometown: Wheathampstead Age: 22 Nomination: 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.
	Name: Felix Malahoo Hometown: Luton Age: 48 Nomination: Paul is an operator in General Assembly at Vauxhall's Luton Vivaro van plant. He has worked their for 22 years. Paul (better known as Felix) has beee raising money for many different charities for over 15 yrs. His fundraising antics have included dressing as Father Xmas and as Felix the Cat (hence the nickname) to encourage people to sponsor him. He has raised thousands for a never ending list of charities including Children in need, Children with Leukemia, Mencap, Leukaemia research, BHF, Macmillan and Sports relief. He says, "I was fortunate many years ago to carry the Queens message in a gold baton for the 1986 Commonwealth games.  The opportunity to run with the Olympic Torch is many times more exciting."
	Name: Frederick Gormer Hometown: Stevenage Age: 63 Nomination: Very active full of energy. Completed numerous marathons volunteers for the London marathon and has registered to help at the Olympics I want to be a volunteer at London's Olympic games welcoming the world to my city. As a marathon runner and a team lead at the London Marathon I want to get the youth of our country to have a purpose respect self confidence and the belief that you can better yourself sport is the ideal way as you don't need that much money or infrastructure to start.
	Name: Leanne Wellings Hometown: High Wycombe Age: 37 Nomination: Peace, unity and friendship - helping a friend reignite her spark and flame for life after they went through difficult personal circumstances. . I try to inspire others in every aspect of life and I believe this has been instilled into me from my younger days of being involved competitively in International Athletics - having the courage to believe, being determined to do your best, show positivity, and always valuing others. Respect, excellence and friendship are the core values of the Olympics and something I always try to show to inspire others. She says, "My passion for sport, for athletics in particular, and to be a part of something that may never happen again in my lifetime."
	Name: Mark Bicknell Hometown: Welwyn Garden City Age: 32 Nomination: Mark has been running his football team for 10 years now, and offers coaching & mentoring to the young adults of team. The team has gone through several ups and downs over the years. Mark has been there through thick and thin. They recently won their league cup. The players got together at the end of last season to thank Mark for all his efforts on and off the pitch. He has often dipped into his own pocket to make up shortfalls in fundraising. He is a keen runner and has raised 1000's for various local charities
	Name: Michael Seres Hometown: Radlett Age: 43 Nomination: Michael will have a major transplant in Sept. He inspired/organised 2 bike ridesParis2Londonraised £140k for research-next ride July 2012having suffered with Crohns Disease for over thirty years and am now waiting for a bowel transplant where I will be one of only about a dozen that have been carried out here in England i am looking to restart my life again. I have a wonderful wife and three beautiful children but at present I am only really a part time dad. My engergy and focus has always been to help others particularly crohns sufferers.
	Name: Richard Sutton Hometown: Hatfield Age: 19 Nomination: I've know Richard for 7 years, he is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He dedicates his time to making enjoyable activities and he has a desire to make sure his friends and family are happy, if they aren't he always is happy to talk to see what the issue is. Nothing shadows his morals; Richard always does right by people and never lets them down. He's truly a lovely person, this is demonstrated by activities that he is not obligated to participate in but feels he must be involved in. He is regularly active in his church and wants to make constant progression. Every Thursday Richard is seen to be involved in helping people who suffer from Dementia just by visiting them on regular basis, talking to them and trying to form relationships. Last year Richard visited Lourdes as a red cap helper, he made sure that everyone had a chance to visit the Pilgrimage of our Lady of Lourdes regardless of their disability.
	Name: Rosi Jordon Hometown: Hertfordshire Age: 57 Nomination:  Rosi Jordon is the Deputy Head of Chessbrook PRU and Education Support Centre in Watford Herts. She has been there for nearly 20 years and has changed the lives of hundreds of children, teenagers and young adults and their families. Rosi works tirelessly and without fail to help young people who have been expelled from their mainstream school for one reason or another to finish their education, get placed into another school, or focus their skills into a different and more vocational area. Rosi goes beyond her job title to create new and exciting experiences for young people, encouraging them to try things they might never have done before. Chessbrook now has many strapping teenage boys who have developed a love of gardening and horticulture, a result of Rosi's efforts!
	Name: Tom Isaacs Hometown: Rickmansworth Age: 44 Nomination: Tom Isaacs was diagnosed with Parkinson's at the age of 27. Tom is a truly incredible man. In 2002 he walked the 4500miles around the coastline of Britain raising £350,000 for Parkinson's research. En-route he met thousands of people with Parkinson's who were inspired and encouraged by Tom's extraordinary feat. Since then Tom has founded The Cure Parkinson's Trust, a charity dedicated to finding a cure that has directed more than £2.5 million into Parkinson's research world-wide. Tom regularly speaks to groups of people with Parkinson's and addresses international scientific and research conferences ensuring that the patient perspective is central to all research.

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