London's News

Ian Williams catches up with David Haye ahead of his fight with Dereck Chisora on Saturday night at Upton Park

Lianne Corriette’s great grandfather, Herbert Barnes was the first torchbearer in 1948 when the Olympic flame when arrived from France, bound for Wembley. On 24 July she’ll be following in his footsteps as she carries the torch in Hillingdon.

Fifty days before the Paralympics begin, Chairman of the Paralympic and Olympic organising committee Lord Coe explains why the Paralympics means so much to Great Britain.

With 50 days to go until the Paralympics begin we hear from Paralympic torch bearers from Chelsea Community Football Club. Players Sami El-Kasef, Gareth Canning and Jay Beckford tell us about what carrying the torch means to them.

Repairing the world is the aim of Ophelia English an intensive care nurse at London’s Royal Brompton Hospital. She’ll be running with the torch on 26 July in Kensington and Chelsea. She’s been nominated because of her work in Haiti with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders). She went there three times after the earthquake in 2010 and treated people the most traumatic time of their lives.

Millie is a volunteer coach at KEEN London who provide free one-to-one sports and recreational activities for children and young adults with special needs. Millie’s running with the torch on 24 July in Kingston. Millie attends every time she can - some weeks leading a session as a whole, other weeks providing one-to-one support for our 'athletes' with very demanding disabilities. She has extended her commitment to working with some children outside of the KEEN sessions, providing respite care and support for families. Additionally, she actively recruits new volunteers and fundraises in her spare time.

Elise Cobain – carrying the torch in Redbridge on July 22nd Elise Cobain volunteers her time at the Roundhouse, a charity designed to provide creative and vocational opportunities to over 3000 young people a year based at the iconic Camden venue. She has helped develop Roundhouse Radio and is part of the Youth Advisory Board and the Board of Trustees. Outside the Roundhouse Elise works on the BBC Introducing Show at BBC Radio Kent and has recently started working as a Unit Assistant at Radio 1.

Don Guiney carrying the Olympic Torch through the City of London on July 16th Don has organised baseball in London for over 20 years, the last 17 of which he has served as Commissioner of the London Baseball program. Don's involvement originated when his kids participated in the program. Though his kids are long since grown up, Don remains a fixture of London Baseball, suffering the wind and rain of the micro-climate at Wormwood Scrubs, where the League plays from April to June each year. Each weekend, Don assembles 21 baseball diamonds, organises games for six different divisions, manages the umpires, and spreads good cheer. Each year, 550-600 players enrol in the program which Don runs alongside his day job as a partner in a City law firm.

Caroline works for the small Brixton-based charity Chance UK who wncourage local volunteers to mentor primary school children with behavioural difficulties. The aim being to provide positive role models and someone consistent in the children’s lives to help them with their anger/self esteem/confidence/making the right choices. Caroline says: Inner London can be quite a depressing place at times for these children with the lack or opportunities & lack of positive role models. I can only hope that my passion and the passion of the volunteers that I manage will have a positive effect on some of them.

In 1985 Steve and his wife set up Oasis Trust, based in Waterloo, working with the homeless and disadvantaged. Oasis now works in 11 countries on five continents providing education, housing, training and healthcare. In the UK Oasis has become an important provider of opportunities for young people through its sponsorship of Academies. Oasis now runs 14 academies across the country. In 2005 Steve raised £1.25m running the London marathon. In the 2011 marathon he raised £2.32mn, a new world record for a single participant.

In 2004, only 13 weeks after she got married, her husband Kieron was killed in an industrial accident. He worked in the construction industry. Since then, and because of the support people in Kieron’s line of work gave Jennifer after he was killed, she has been dedicated to supporting people who’ve experienced loss like hers and to preventing similar tragedies. She’ll be carrying the torch on 23 July in Merton.

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Latin and Greek are a popular choice for their A levels by students at BSix sixth form college in Hackney. Principal Ken Warman and students Alex and Luke tell us why classics are making a comeback in east London.

A memorial commemorating the deaths of more than 55,000 Bomber Command Airmen in the Second World War has been unveiled in Green Park. The memorial will also commemorate people of all nations who lost their lives in the bombing campaigns of 1939 to 1945. Her Majesty the Queen revealed a nine foot high bronze sculpture depicting seven bomber command air crew. Bernie Harris from Ilford flew in bomber command and spoke to @GabyandPaul about his experiences.

Just 24, actor John had recently graduated with a first from Oxford, when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2002. After a year of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy he tried to get back on track but suffered severe depression and was sectioned. A friend introduced him to running and, though he had never run before, entered him for the London Marathon. He completed that in 2004. John, who’s now a mental health counsellor, tells us how his spirit overcame problems and now inspires and encourages others to carry on despite adversity. He’ll be carrying the torch on 26 July in Kensington and Chelsea.

Inderjit Bhalla is 74 year old. He says eight years ago he was on his death bed. A liver transplant saved him. Since then he’s won many gold medals at the World Transplant Games playing his favourite sport Badminton. He’ll be carrying the torch on 25 July in Brent.

Dom Goggins tells us why he's running with the Olympic Torch and how he's raising money. http://leukaemialymphomaresearch.org.uk/people/dom-goggins

BBC London 949 hears the stories behind the people carrying the Olympic Torch through London