Solihull has its moment to shine
From Councillor Ken Meeson, Leader of the Council on 02 July 2012
Solihull had its moment to shine yesterday when the Olympic Torch Relay came to the borough.
Thousands of people turned out early in the morning to line the streets and cheer the Relay on and see the Olympic Flame up close.
The Torch was carried into the borough from Birmingham just after 7.30am by Rebecca Williamson, who handed over to Sara Butler. Sara has ocular albinism and is a successful paratriathlete, representing Great Britain in the European championships.
The Torch was then carried down Streetsbrook Road towards Solihull town centre by Sheeba Mir, followed by Peter Ayliffe and then local lawyer John Perrott, whose colleagues cite him as a role model and great source of support.
Teenage charity fundraiser Kymrun Dhami was the next Torchbearer, before handing over to cycling legend Tommy Godwin, who won two bronze medals the last time the Olympics were in London, in 1948.
Tommy handed over to Robert Ireland, who has taught at Tudor Grange Academy for 39 years and retires this summer. He passed the Flame to Melanie Easter who not only won swimming medals at the Paralympic Games in 1996 and 200, but also represented Great Britain in the 2007 World Cycling Championships and became World Paratriathlete Champion in 2008.
Next up was 15-year-old Aolani Whitehouse, who loves volunteering and wants to be a PE teacher. She carried the Flame onto Solihull High Street where she handed over to Kenyan Evans Wadongo, who carried on through the cheering crowds.
Evans invented solar lanterns, using cheap scrap materials, to be used by people in rural areas and slums to encourage them to stop using dangerous and expensive kerosene lamps.
Student and dedicated Air Training Corps member Jacob Henry then took the Flame from Evans, before meeting another Kenyan, former world record holder for the marathon Paul Tergat. Paul held the record between 2003 and 2007 and also won a silver medal in the 1996 Games in Atlanta in the 10,000m.
Andy Foote then took the Flame into Tudor Grange leisure centre, where there was a short break. Andy has worked tirelessly for at least the last twelve years raising funds and awareness for children with brain tumours, after tragically losing his 9-year-old son Joseph to the disease.
The convoy got moving again with former Miss World Kenya, Cecilia Mwangi. Cecilia has used her fame to raise money and encourage businesses to help eradicate jiggers, as well as generally raising awareness of a long-standing problem for people in Kenya.
Then it was the turn of 16-year-old Charlie Mugglestone, who overcame epilepsy and being born with a hole in his heart to now become the captain of his school rugby team, as well as being a kick boxer and completing a triathlon.
Sarabjit Bhopal took the Flame from Charlie, before handing it onto teenage high jumper Joshua Hill, who hopes to one day compete for Great Britain in an Olympic Games.
Next up was Kenyan HIV and AIDS activist Asunta Wagura, who supports infected people to live dignified lives. Asunta then handed over to ex-soldier Karl Hinett, who suffered 37% burns when his tank was petrol-bombed in Iraq.
Karl spent five years at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Burns Unit undergoing countless operations, before last year running 52 marathons to raise £20,000 for the Unit that saved his life.
Dentist Pankaj Taneja was next to carry the Flame as it moved down Marshall Lake Road. Every year, Pankaj travels to Vietnam to give free dental work to orphaned children.
Tony Worth, whose small children inspired him to get fit so he could play with them, then took the Flame and was the final Torchbearer before it changed into convoy mode to reach Earlswood.
The final part of the Flame’s journey through the borough was kicked off by Will Smith, who was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2009 but refuses to let treatment get him down.
He then handed over to 19-year-old Glenn Scott, a potential Paralympic champion of the future. Glenn was born with club feet and had to have the bones from his ankles removed.
A few years ago he took up sprinting and is now national champion in both the 100m and 200m. He has competed internationally and has the same classification as his hero, the ‘blade runner’ from South Africa Oscar Pistorious.
Then it was the turn of Cherry Allsop, who has been a listening Samaritan for the past 10 years and regularly around 20 hours a week to the charity. She also helped organise the Samaritans Freepost initiative.
Belgian Eric Bauwens, who has been a volunteer with Special Olympics Belgium for 25 years, then continued the Flame’s journey, before handing over to the borough’s final Torchbearer, Nigerian Stephen Onukwube, one of the Nigerian Youth Influencers who is passionate about the living standards and youth policy in the country.
The Flame then continued its journey around the West Midlands for the rest of the day.
Councillor Ken Meeson, Leader of Solihull Council, said: “What a fantastic morning as, with the Mayor, I joined the thousands of residents in Solihull High Street to welcome the Torch Relay. It was a wonderful experience and for many a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share in the Olympic spirit. Everyone did the borough proud and we certainly made the most of our moment to shine.”
Anyone with photos of the Torch Relay’s journey through the borough can tweet them to the Council @SolihullCouncil or share them on the Council’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/solihullcouncil where there is also an album of images from the day.
Also, residents can hear interviews with some Torchbearers, Solihull Olympic Legends and the Mayor of Solihull at the Council’s Audioboo profile, which is available at www.audioboo.fm/solihullcouncil.
For enquiries from members of the press and media only, please contact Dave Musson on 0121 704 8172
Email: dmusson@solihull.gov.uk