The Young Games Maker (YGM) programme for 16-18 year olds provided up to 2,000 volunteering opportunities for young people during the 2012 Games.  The programme supported LOCOG’s commitment to inspire young people to choose sport and leave a volunteering legacy.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the young volunteers to be a part of the greatest show on earth.

Rachel Barr’s Experience as a Games Maker

The Pony Club & LOCOG recruited 40 Young Games Makers and eight Team Leaders for the London 2012 Olympics.

List of Successful Applicants

CONGRATULATIONS to those who were selected, it was a fantastic opportunity to be involved in London 2012, and those selected were a credit to The Pony Club as an organisation

Olympic Torchbearers 2012

8,000 inspirational people, from tens of thousands nominated, carried the Olympic Flame on its’ journey across the UK.  It was their moment to shine, inspiring millions of people watching in their community, in the UK and worldwide.  For further details about the London 2012 Torchbearers visit www.london2012.com/torch-relay/torchbearers/ The Pony Club are proud to announce that we were represented during this historically traditional start-up for the UK Olympic Games.

Pony Club Torchbearers 2012

Gorgs Geike, previous Member of Mid Devon Pony Club.
Carried the Flame through: Okehampton on 21 May
Age: 27 Hometown: Okehampton
Event: Britain’s top lady pistol shooter - Ladies 10m Air Pistol and 25m Sport Pistol, 2 individual bronze medals plus silver and bronze in the team events at the 2010 Commonwealth Shooting Championship.  Also former Modern Pentathlete.

Kate Allenby, MBE, previous Member of Spooners and West Dartmoor Pony Club.
Carried the Flame through: Bath on 22 May
Event:  Pony Club Tetrathlete and Olympic Bronze medal winning Modern Pentathlete.


Kate Charlton, Morpeth Hunt Pony Club.
Carried the Flame through: Foulden on 14 June
Age: 18   Hometown: Morpeth

Martha Todd, Duke of Buccleuch Hunt Pony Club.
Carried the Flame through: Berwick-Upon-Tweed on 14 June
Age: 12 Hometown: Scottish Borders

Tilly Sayburn-Hughes, Oxenholme Pony Club.
Carried the Flame through: Kendal on 22 June
Age: 12   Hometown: Grange Over Sands

Torch Visits School - Georgia Vickers, High Peak Hunt.
On 29 June the torch stopped for lunch at the secondary school, Highfields, Matlock, Derbyshire

Georgie Harland, previous Member of East Kent Hunt Pony Club.
Georgie carried the torch in Warwick on Sunday 01 July.
Event:  Olympic bronze medal winner, modern pentathlon, Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

Katie Spaughton, Bedfordshire South Pony Club.
Carried the Flame through: Rugby on 02 July
Age: 13 Hometown: Milton Keynes

Hannah Gallaher, Puckeridge Hunt Western Pony Club. 
Carried the Flame through: St Albans on 08 July
Age: 12 Hometown: Hitchin

Xavier Vrigneau, Portman Pony Club
Carried the Flame through: Winterborne Whitechurch on 12 July
Age: 18 Hometown: Blandford Forum

Sara Tremlett, Lord Leconfield Hunt DC
Carried the Flame through: Petworth on 16 July
Age: 63 Hometown: Slinfold

Mary Joy Langdon, Wormwood Scrubs DC
Carried the Flame through: Hounslow on 24 July
Age: 62 Hometown: London

 

 

 

Georgina Tells Her Story as an Olympic Torchbearer

Georgina Harland, Olympic bronze medal winner, modern pentathlon, Athens 2004 Olympic Games, and previous Member of East Kent Hunt Pony Club, carried the torch in Warwick on Sunday 01 July.

Georgina tells us how important it was to share the moment with her family and friends.

“As I stepped off the bus the moment I had been waiting for had arrived; I was handed my Olympic torch.  It was heavier than I had expected but I knew that it would feel light as a feather with all the adrenaline pumping around my body!  As I was in the Castle grounds I was escorted up to where I would start.  As I came around the corner I was met by a sea of friendly faces.  All my family and friends had come to my start point.  Instinctively I just wanted them all to share this moment with me.  I wanted them all to hold the torch and feel a part of this incredible moment, particularly the children.  No matter what age the torch has significance – for my 20 month old nephew it is just gold and shiny, for the older children they know it is something very special because of its uniqueness and for many others it is simply an inspiration.  While the Olympic Torch relay is a huge event, this moment was very intimate and it felt right that those who have supported me for so many years were as much a part of it as they were.”

It was clearly a very emotional experience for Georgina summed it up.  “The day had been everything and more that I had dreamt it would be.  Friends, family and a community united by the passion and inspiration of the Olympics.  The Olympics is well and truelly here in the UK and for that moment on 1st July I had the privilege and honour to be right at the heart of it.  As one of only 8,000 torch bearers it is a memory that I will hold forever.”

Read Georgina’s full story here.

Sara Tremlett, Lord Leconfield Hunt DC, carried the Flame through Petworth on 16 July.

“It was the most amazing experience – both very humbling and exhilarating!  I carried the torch into Petworth Park and when I came through the gates the path was lined with hundreds of schoolchildren from the local primary schools, all shouting their heads off and waving flags and this continued around to the front of Petworth House.  It was a huge privilege and something I will always treasure.”

Behind Sara in this picture outside Petworth House, are Lord and Lady Egremont.  Lord Egremont is the Lord Leconfield Hunt Branche’s President.

Regards.  Sara

Katie Spaughton, from Bedfordshire South Pony Club, carried the Flame through Rugby on 02 July.

On Monday 9th July, Katie Spaughton (14) was invited to the Red Bull Racing Factory to meet Mark… and brought along the Olympic torch which she had used to carry the flame for this year’s games through the town of Rugby. Milton Keynes-born Katie was nominated to be a bearer for her services to sports, fundraising for Help For Heroes, helping the disabled and training youngsters and their parents in long-distance horse riding. A bit of an athlete herself, has won championship trophies for cross-country, show jumping and endurance riding.