Early start to see Paralympic Torch in Brent

Follow his lead

Brent Council's Lead Member for London 2012, Councillor James Powney has urged residents to get up early in the morning to see the Paralympic Torch go through Brent.

He said : "The borough really came together for the Olympic Torch Relay and I hope that despite the early start the community will make the same effort to line the streets on Wednesday 29 August."

The Torch will arrive in Brent at Honey Pot Lane in Kingsbury at 5.10am and leave at Carlton Vale, South Kilburn at 8.18am.  It will call in at Willesden Sports Centre and the Swaminarayan Mandir on its journey.

To view the route and timings follow this LINK

After the Paralympic Flame leaves the borough there will be a free Paralympic Sports Open Day at Willesden Sports Centre from 10am-3pm for young people (with or without a disability) aged 8-16.

Real spirit of Olympics wins out over corporate hijack

Children, parents and teachers herald the Olympic Torch

Local people turned out in force today as the Olympic Torch came along Forty Lane.  The contradictions of the Olympics were much in evidence with the commercialisation competing with more traditional values of community and diversity.

Just before the Torch was due a Samsung vehicle drew up and in what at times was a potential mini-riot started distributing 'blow-up' Samsung flags on which Samsung's name was very large and the Olympic rings symbol very small. Samsung cheer leaders tried to get the crowd banging their Samsung advertising flags together to welcome the torch.



At first it looked as if  the hand-painted  banners made by school children with the Mahogany Carnival Arts workshop would be over-shadowed by corporate plastic  but as the photographs shows the beautiful banners won out.

The torch itself was preceded by sponsor vehicles from Samsung, Cocoa Cola and Lloyd's bank - the latter drew a shout of 'Give us back our money!'.

Nonetheless beneath the corporate shenanigans there was real enthusiasm and a sense of history being made from a typically diverse Brent crowd.