Torching the county with Olympic passion

A month long ‘Carmarthenshire Torch Relay’ has inspired 12,000 Carmarthenshire pupils in the values of the Olympic Games.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Sport Development Unit has worked with schools and colleges, and a variety of partners to provide sport and non-sport opportunities to involve the pupils in many ways.

He travelled on foot and on one epic kayak trip on the River Towy.

The relay blazed round more than 200-miles of the county between February 27th and 27th March as a precursor to the as the official Olympic Torch coming through the county on May 27th with the Olympic Games officially opening on the July 27th .

Active young people co-ordinator Carl Daniels said: “Our torch event has helped Carmarthenshire’s young people grasp the growing enthusiasm for the Olympics and help them get more active as a result.”

The event started in Emlyn School on February 27 and finished up at Pantycelyn on March 26th with the torch spending at least a day in each of the county’s 18 secondary and special schools.

Head teacher of Pantycelun School Julie Griffiths said the torch had given the schools an opportunity to get involved with the Olympics they would not have otherwise have had,

“It is such a shame the official Olympic torch is not going to the school. But as far as out pupils are concerned the specially designed daffodil torch is every bit as good and important,

“It has given the school and pupils vision of the Olympics events a powerful fillip. The sports development teams are to be commended for their hard work organising it county wide” she said.