I think something of the atmosphere of the Olympic Torch Relay has communicated itself through the media coverage. This morning the Relay was at the end of my road so, after putting my lunch in the oven on a timer, off I went. It is/was definitetly a "not to miss". I walked to the northern end of Dagenham Heathway, past gathering crowds lining the road along which the Relay was to pass. There was a very real sense of people gathering from the neighbouring streets to watch the Torch go past their own patch.
We were blessed with beautiful weather (though a couple of policemen I spoke to were finding it too hot in all their equpiment and would have preferred it to be raining!) and it being a Sunday, so lots of people turned out. The length of the route meant, though, that the pavements were not over-crowded. I then walked back to the Civic Centre, and waited to watch the torch pass Becontree Heath leisure centre. It was fascinating to watch the crowds re-gather at this point some 60 minutes or so after the Torch first passed, on its way to the Dagenham Town Show (it did a short double-back on itself to head up Whalebone Lane South).
I understand that the route through the neighbouring borough of Havering was also well lined later in the day. By that time I was back home, taking my lunch out of the oven....
So far only photographs from the morning have been posted; I assume more will follow.
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