Thousands greet Stafford Olympic Flame relay
[gallery] Tens of thousands of people welcomed the Olympic Torch to Staffordshire, as flag-waving families turned town centre streets and villages into a giant party.
Tens of thousands of people welcomed the Olympic Torch to Staffordshire, as flag-waving families turned town centre streets and villages into a giant party.
Crowds lined the streets for miles, right into the centre of Stafford where residents packed Greengate Street and the Market Square.
Click on the image to the right for photos from the event
And shops and pubs enjoyed a massive boost in trade as people came together to celebrate.
Mayor of Stafford, Councillor Bryan Cross, today estimated 40,000 people turned out. "It was the most spectacular event," he said.
"The citizens of Stafford turned out in their thousands, the route was crowded from where the torch came into Stafford all the way to where it left. I couldn't ask for a better year to be Mayor of Stafford. We have got the torch and then we swing into the jubilee celebrations over the weekend. The excitement is fantastic."
After starting the day in Wales, torchbearers carried the iconic flame through Shropshire and entered Stafford via the villages of Gnosall and Haughton, along the A518 from Newport at around 5pm yesterday. It then travelled through Stafford, getting into the town centre at around 5.45pm before heading north.
Stafford scout leader Geoff Wheat, aged 49, who was chosen to carry the torch for his 40-year involvement in the Scout movement, said: "It was absolutely fantastic, and actually quite emotional. I never expected to see so many people out on the street."
The flame returns to Staffordshire on June 30, going through Streethay, Lichfield, Great Wyrley and Newtown, near Essington, before going on its way into the Black Country.
