In Pictures: Special reception for 1948 Olympic Torchbearers

I was delighted to join fellow torchbearers, their friends and family at Lynnsport this afternoon to see the end of the 1948 Olympic Torch Trail and to recieve a medal and certificate from West Norfolk mayor Geoffrey Wareham for taking part. The 170-mile relay started on Saturday morning at Lynnsport and College of West Anglia pupil Tom Scott walked over the finish line at the King's Lynn leisure centre at 4pm - much to the delight of a small crowd which gathered to cheer him on.

I had carried the iconic torch from North Wootton to Castle Rising on Saturday morning but made sure I was updated on how it was getting on as some 170 other torchbearers on foot and cycle carried it through 80 town and villages around West Norfolk over the next four days. Olympian Paul Evans and Ray Harding, chief executive of West Norfolk council, started the 1948 Torch relay after leaving Lynnsport at 9.15am on Saturday before handing over to me in North Wootton.
After I handed it over in Castle Rising, the torch made its way to Dersingham, Ingoldisthorpe, Snettisham, Heacham, Hunstanton, Sedgeford and Docking before finishing the day in Burnham Market.

Picture by Matthew Usher

On Sunday the torch went through the Rudhams, the Massinghams, Marham and Boughton before finishing in Stoke Ferry. The torch was then carried through Methwold, Feltwell, Southery, Hilgay and Denver on Monday before arriving in Downham Market to lead the annual carnival parade through the town at 1pm and ended the day in Upwell.

Torchbearers left Upwell at 9.30am today and carried the torch through Elm, Terrington St John, the Walpoles, Clenchwarton and West Lynn before arriving back at Lynnsport at 4pm.

After the torch arrived at Lynnsport, there was a special reception for the 170 torchbearers at the King’s Lynn leisure centre where we received our medals and certificates before enjoying a display by Alison’s Street Dance Club, music from the Delta Pilots and a hog roast!

My shiny commemorative medal

My commemorative medal and "certificate of appreciation"

@Gary_McGuinness, who ran the penultimate leg from West to South Lynn , and me showing off our medals

VIDEO: Me carrying the 1948 Olympic Torch during tour of West Norfolk

It was just after 9.30am when I was given the 1948 Olympic Torch by Olympian Paul Evans and Ray Harding, chief executive of West Norfolk council, to carry it between North Wootton and Castle Rising today. I carried it with West Norfolk council cabinet member Elizabeth Nockolds and it was a truly amazing experience. We ran one of the longest legs of the 170-mile relay around West Norfolk AND it was all uphill so not as easy as I thought it was going to be when I got up this morning.



Picture by Matthew Usher

When I arrived at the handover point at around 9.15am, there weren't too many people but as Paul and Ray handed over the torch to us, there were plenty of people who had come out to cheer us on. There were also plenty of people who lined the route to see us and take our pictures. After the torch left us, it was carried through Dersingham, Ingoldisthorpe, Snettisham, Heacham, Hunstanton, Sedgeford and Docking before finishing the day in Burnham Market.

Overall it was incredible to take part in this event. It truly was a once-in-a-lifetime event and I feel very privileged that I was asked to take part and to run the second leg. I really felt a sense a pride when the torch was in my hand and I feel like I've taken part in something very special. There is no doubt in my mind that it will bring communities together across West Norfolk in the coming days and I'm looking forward to meeting some of the other 170 torchbearers on Tuesday for a special medal ceremony at Lynnsport after the torch returns.

The below video of me carrying the torch was shot by @DanielVipond. You will need to skip to one minute and 20 seconds after watching the first 25 seconds.

West Norfolk Olympic torch relay starts tomorrow: Come out & cheer me on!

The official 2012 Olympic torch is currently making its way around the country and I may have missed out on carrying it but tomorrow I'll get my hands on an iconic Olympic torch when I take part in a four-day torch relay across West Norfolk using one of the torches used for the 1948 Olympics - the last to be held in London.

The torch, on loan from Loughborough University, will be carried into more than 80 villages ahead of the London Olympics and will start and finish at Lynnsport in King's Lynn.

Norfolk Olympian Paul Evans, who competed at the 1992 and the 1996 Olympic Games, will start the relay just after 9am tomorrow before handing over to yours truly in North Wootton. I will then run from the All Saints Drive junction with Alban Road to Black Horse Pub in Castle Rising.

Some 170 torchbearers on foot and cycle will then carry the torch over the four-day event. These people, who range in age from 14 to 98, have been nominated by their local communities.

I really think the torch relay will bring a feel-good factor to the area ahead of the Games and I am delighted to be taking part. The Olympics is only six weeks away and there won’t be too many people from here going down to London to watch the action but I think this is bringing the Olympics to West Norfolk and is really kick starting a summer of great sport

To see the Olympic torch trail route click here

Picture captions please: GEAR in pictures

So you'll be pleased to know that I completed the Grand East Anglia Run yesterday - JUST! I managed to cross the finish line in a personal best time of 46 minutes 13 seconds - knocking six minutes off my training time!

I also finished 291st out of 1,700 runners, which wasn't too shabby either, and managed to raise £300 for the Norfolk Hospice, which I hope will be doubled by my company Archant.

It was a great event and the atmosphere around the town was electric with hundreds of people lining the route but I did hit a little trouble as I entered the final stages of the 10km run around the historic town of King's Lynn as the below pictures show.

Closing in on the finish line

Crossing the finish line

About to throw up!

GEAR-ing up for 10km run for @Norfolk_Hospice

It's not quite the London Marathon but on Sunday, I'll be taking part in the Grand East Anglia Run (GEAR) - a 10KM run around the historic town of King's Lynn - to raise money for The Norfolk Hospice. It's an event I've been keen to take part in for a couple of years now but I always seem to put off signing up until it's too late. That didn't happen this year, however, thanks to a little nudge from a certain press officer (she knows who she is!) and before I knew it, I had not only signed up for this year's race but also pledged to raise as much as possible for The Norfolk Hospice.

I got to know about the charity and the wonderful work it does through my role as a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. The charity helps patients, carers and families living with cancer or other life-limiting illnesses, by providing timely and professional care and much needed support. It currently supports more than 280 people every month at its current hospice in Snettisham but the charity is hoping to move into a new £4m full-service hospice, which will provide 12 in-patient beds. When The Norfolk Hospice moves into its new multi-million pound hospice, in Hillington, near King's Lynn, running costs will rise from £1.4m to £3.4m and with the charity only receiving 11pc of its funding from the NHS, I am hoping I can raise as much as possible

My training for GEAR has seen me join the Ryston Runners for sessions on the running track at Lynnsport and I have also had a couple of practice goes around the 10KM route. So far, I've managed to do it in 50minutes but on the day, I hope to cross the finish line in around 45minutes.

It would be fantastic if you might be able to sponsor me. You can do so by texting GEAR86 £plus your amount to 70070 (i.e. GEAR86 £5 )or by visiting www.justgiving.com/davidblackmoreGEAR It is really quick and easy to donate either way and any sponsorship would be gratefully received.

Spread The Word: Big Bike Challenge for Great Ormond Street Hospital

OnTuesday April 10, I will be joining work colleague and fantastic photographer Ian Burt in taking part in a 212-mile bike ride challenge to raise money for the Great Ormond Street Hospital. We are hoping to cycle the distance - equivalent to pedalling from King's Lynn to the London hospital and back - in ten hours on exercise bikes in the Vancouver Quarter in King's Lynn.
We are attempting the challenge to commemorate the second anniversary since Ian's youngest son Calum  had a life-changing operation at the famous London hospital and we are hoping to raise £1,000 for the hospital. It would be fantastic if you can sponsor us which you can do so by visiting www.justgiving.com/burtysbigbikeride.

Picture by Matthew Usher

For those of you on Twitter, you can follow us on the day via @Ian_Burt and @DavidBlackm0re and join in by using #BurtysBigBikeRide. We are very grateful to Abbie Panks, marketing manager at the Vancouver Quarter, for hosting us and to Bodyworks Fitness Studio in King's Lynn for lending us the exercise bikes.
The pictures on this page were taken by Matthew Usher.

Picture by Matthew Usher

For me this will be the second long-distance exercise bike ride I have taken part in for charity having completed one last April when I cycled the equivalent distance of King’s Lynn to Calais which is around 139 miles as the crow flies to raise money for the Bobby Moore Fund (See video below picture)
Having already done a similar fundraising event, I know we can complete the challenge but I also know how tough it is going to be. Both Ian and myself have been training hard in the build up and can regularly be seen pedalling like mad past the hospital and onto Knight’s Hill.

An eyewitness' account of the armed robbery in King's Lynn

Strolling along Norfolk Street just before 10am to go to the Post Office to pay my road tax, I never in a million years could have predicted the situation I was about to find myself in. Just as I reached the Post Office, I noticed a silver Mercedes pull up outside Francis Wain jewellery shop and the driver put on his hazard lights. "That's strange," I thought. "This is a pedestrianised road, surely the shop gets deliveries at night or through a back door?"

Then in the blink of an eye, a gang of men in white hooded tops raced out of the vehicle and started smashing glass with sledgehammers before stealing items from the shop. For about 10 seconds, I was quite literally frozen to the spot as the usually busy shopping street began to empty with people either running away screaming or diving into the closest shop to hide. As people continued to brush past me to get away, I noticed a few people were already on their mobile phones and talking to the emergency services. The driver of the silver Mercedes then started pumping smoke out of the vehicle to block CCTV footage and shouted at anyone still stood watching the robbery unfold.

The next thing I knew, the men were clambering back into the vehicle with their pockets loaded with jewellery, the driver put his foot down on the gas and headed straight towards me. Thankfully, I managed to dive for cover as the vehicle sped off towards Austin Street. The silver Mercedes was later found in nearby North Lynn. I was absolutely stunned and just looked around in utter disbelief as people slowly emerged from the shops they had raced into moments earlier. I then heard police sirens in the distance as the shop's shutters kicked into life and came down and Norfolk Street returned to its normal busy self.

When a lone Norfolk Police car pulled up outside the shop a few moments later, I heard one woman shout: "You took your time". The officer responded by saying they had been "rather busy" trying to catch the armed robbers, which seemed to satisfy the lady as she walked towards Waterstones. After checking my phone to see what pictures I had taken, I walked up to one of the members of staff to give her the registration plate of the silver Mercedes before walking into the Post Office to sort out my road tax and thinking to myself: "Did that really just happen?!"

Overall it was an extraordinary couple of minutes. One minute Norfolk Street was packed, the next minute people were running, screaming and diving into shops and then moments later everything returned to normal. Thinking back to this morning now, I know the raid only took a matter of moments but in my mind everything has now slowed down and it feels like it went on for more than an hour. It is not everyday you see something as horrific as this and I'm sure I will remember what happened today for a long time to come.

An embarrasing tale of mine aired to thousands across King's Lynn & West Norfolk

(@AdamNewstead)

In the run up to Christmas last year, I saw a tweet by Adam Newstead, the breakfast show presenter at my local radio station KLFM, which read: "So does anyone want me to write a song about them? Get in touch!". Now for those of you who don't know, Adam does a Song of the Day feature on his show and I have to admit most of them are pretty good - I would say the majority are good but I'm sure Adam will read this and I don't want him to get a big head!

Some of his recent efforts includes a song about ways to reduce your electric bill, a song about a guy called Mr Gymcredible and a song about a woman who is the biggest boyband fan in West Norfolk. So after reading his tweet, I sent a tweet straight back to him saying: "Me please!" but I didn't think any more of it until we entered 2012 and Adam got in touch wanting to know more about me to help him write a song. Here were his questions:

1. Who is the most famous person you've met? Tell us about it!
2. Any embarassing stories?
3. Tell us something interesting about you

I obviously sent him an essay in reply and somehow he managed to fight his way through all the rubbish I had sent him and wrote a song about the time I tried to go swimming at Guildford Leisure Centre in Surrey whilst stilll wearing my socks and I think it is bloody brilliant! 

Here it is:

For those of you wanting to hear the other songs that Adam (or @AdamNewstead) has done click here

Farewell to the Campbell's Tower

The famous Campbell’s Soup tower, which has been one of the best-known landmarks in King’s Lynn for decades, was blown up today. Thousands of people from West Norfolk and beyond woke up early, wrapped up warm and braved the cold weather to watch the demolition at 8am.

It was a fightfully cold morning and I was really surprised to see that so many people had come out to see the demolition of the tower. For many, it was a rare opportunity to watch a building fall and for others, the event gave them the chance to say goodbye to their favourite landmark in King's Lynn which had been there for as long as they cared to remember.

For me, it was a truly historic event in the town that I will remember forever which also gave me a great opportunity to try out my ever-improving video skills (see below) Listen out for "It's falling the wrong way" & watch the camera shake after the explosion - that was me jumping like a sissy!

Sarah Griffiths, whose father was scalded to death at the soup factory, was selected to detonate the tower after winning a competition. She said the event was a chance for closure after her father Mick Locke was killed at the site in 1995.

The tower and the former factory are being demolished to make way for a business complex, including a new Tesco Extra store. The demolition comes after the King’s Lynn civic society tried to get the tower listed in 2010 but English Heritage said the tower had no “special architectural or historic interest” and rejected the group’s application.

Tesco’s plan for the site was approved by West Norfolk Council in November 2010 and it is thought the £40m Campbell’s Meadow project could bring up to 1,000 jobs to the area. East Anglian firm RG Carter, which originally built the factory on the 63-acre site in 1959, has been carrying out the demolition work on behalf of Tesco.