Olympic torch in Bucks area today and tomorrow (From Bucks Free Press)

Olympic torch in Bucks area today and tomorrow

10:50am Monday 9th July 2012 in Politics By James Nadal

THE Olympic torch is coming to Bucks this morning.

The flame will be travelling from Witchurch and arriving in Aylesbury, near Selkirk Avenue, at 11.15am and arriving at Stoke Mandeville at 11.54am.

It then travels via the Mandeville School before arriving in Waddesdon for 2.17pm.

It is coming to Bisham tomorrow, with thousands of spectators expected to line the streets to watch the relay in the Maidenhead area.

Marlow missed out on the route despite fierce lobbying to include the home town of the country’s greatest Olympian Steve Redgrave.

But Marlovians will only have to head across the bridge to neighbouring Bisham to catch a glimpse of the flame.

The first torch bearer will appear at 10am on Tuesday as it enters Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre for a ticket-only event.

Cookham resident Sam Shepherd, 22, has won the honour of carrying the iconic symbol through Bisham.

Mr Shepherd, who works for Marks & Spencer, was nominated by friends and family because of his charity work.

A fundraising football tournament he created has raised £400,000 for Habitat for Humanity which builds much needed houses in South Africa.

He said: “I was lucky enough to go out to Cape Town for a week and help build the first one.”

The keen sportsman said carrying the flame was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He said: “It feels a fantastic honour to be a torchbearer.”

He has also raised money for charities, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Dreams Come True, through a triathlon, parachute jump, abseiling down buildings and competing in the London Marathon.

The other Bisham torchbearer is American 16-year-old Bailey Reese, selected by Coca-Cola. When she was seven, she founded a non-profit organisation called Hero Hugs after Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

The organisation has since sent out 75,000 care packages to U.S. military members around the world. The torch goes from Bisham to Maidenhead at about 11am.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, responsible for organising the event, is encouraging residents to join in.

The council wants to collect memories and photographs of the torch relay. Send them to anne.dackombe@rbwm.gov.uk and the best will be posted on the council’s website.

People wanting to watch the torch in Bisham have been warned to get there early as there is limited space on the roadside which follows the torch’s route, firstly from Temple to Bisham, and then leaving the sports centre up to the roundabout exiting the village.

The torch can also be seen at the Dorney Lake entrance from Court Lane at 11.39am.