Jesmond will start celebrating this year’s Olympic Games early when the North East takes part in the Olympic Torch Relay on Friday 15th June.

Olympian & Newcastle resident Jonathan Edwards holds the Olympic Torch. Photo credit: North Devon Council .

The torch will begin its route through the city at 4:47pm, starting at the east end of Sandyford Lane. From there, it will work its way down to Portland Road and continue south into the city centre, making a stop St. James’ Park before ultimately ending up down at the Quayside for a special ceremony.

Among the torch bearers will be Jesmond junior cricketer Will Hardy, who lost both his legs and half his left arm to meningitis when he was just 23 months old. Hardy, who plays for Newcastle Cricket Club Junior Wasps, is one of 8,000 people who have been nominated by the public to carry the torch on its journey and has been given this prestigious honour in light of his great achievements in both sport and life.

In order to accomodate the event, both Sandyford Lane and Portland Road will be closed on 15th June between 4:30pm and 7:30pm. Police will ensure that any closures have as minimal an impact on residents as possible but there are still expected to be traffic delays within the area throughout the course of the day.