When the flame came to Hanham

Rob English works as Trust Manager here at WEBA, and he's also Secretary of Hanham Baptist Church in Bristol. He told me about the day the Olympic Torch passed along Hanham High Street, where the church is situated, on Tuesday 22nd May 2012.

"We found out it was passing our doors and thought it was a marvellous opportunity to open up to our community" said Rob. "We've got this marvellous facility of this walled garden, so we opened up the gates and put on teas, coffees, cupcakes, and a bouncy castle, as well as toilet facilities."

"I got there about four" he went on, "and I drove past the church first and thought why would I go in there? We needed something on the street, so we improvised. I got two go-pack tables and lashed them together like an 'A' board, made a sign and stuck it over the top."

Rob confided that the part of the afternoon that involved a flame passing by was almost a let down - it was over in a quarter of an hour. "For me it was to see all those people, the enthusiasm and expectation, that was really exciting. It was more than an opportunity, it was a gift. Perhaps we should open the gates more often and let people in."

Thanks to Peter Cook and Terry Hooper for the fantastic photos.