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Education NewsA flaming great day for Dan Tatton as he carries the Olympic Torch through Burslem
The Olympic Torch is now officially up and running (quite literally), and a second lucky student from the Sixth Form College has had the honour of carrying the torch through our city. Former Haywood Engineering College student Dan Tatton, who currently studies A-Level Geography, Environmental Studies and English Language, was nominated to carry the torch through Burslem, and enjoyed every minute of his time in the spotlight.
“It’s an honour and a privilege to have been nominated”, said Dan. “The turnout was phenomenal, even though it was early in the morning, there were hundreds of people lining the streets. People were cheering and it was strange because even though I’ve never met them, they knew my name. My parents had t-shirts made up with my name and the date and I’ll be keeping those as souvenirs as well as my torch. It wasn’t as heavy as I thought it would be. The torch weighs about the same as a bag of sugar although having the flame so close to my head did make me quite hot. ”
Dan was put forward by his mum and was chosen by sponsors Coca Cola for his work as the Young Poet Laureate. “The role involved going into schools and promoting creative writing and thinking. Some of the creative minds in local schools are impressive and there is far more poetry being written now than when I was at school. It is great to be rewarded for doing something that I really enjoy.”
The application process was long and tense with the shortlist being written up by Coca Cola and processed by LOCOG. Dan finally received his formal offer in March and has been very excited about his role since the news was recieved. “I ran from Ceramica to the Kwik Save roundabout”, he said. “The torch relay is important as normally when big events happen in London, people in other cities feel isolated and distanced. The torch’s journey brings the Olympics to everyone and makes them feel that it is not just an event which is happening on TV.”