
By 6.45am the streets in Chelmsford were bustling with and the crowds were buzzing anticipation. In Oaklands Park and the Chelmsford Mueseum there was a carnival atmosphere with music, dancing and activities for children. The local scouts and guides were helping serve bacon sandwiches to the early visitors.
Chelmsford was one of the few towns where the torch mostly travelled along pedestrian areas so there were none of the usual buses, motorbikes and cars accompanying it. It was carried at speed though, so for the throngs in the park the torch bearing event was over very quickly.
However, BBC Essex helped to host entertain in the Chelmsford Museum grounds. There were singing puppets for the kids plus a giant bouncy slide, there was a dance act who performed various street dances including a Spiderman show. A small folk act sung some classic cover songs and bacon sandwiches were being served. Later on Chelmsford’s Town Crier joined the street dancers and showed them all how to work the crowd.
Overall a great festival atmosphere, and all at 7am!
Soon the crowds started to depart to start their usual Saturday. The torch is now speeding towards Harlow for its final leg of its visit to Essex.
Many athletes and members of the community ran the torch through Chelmsford.
- Holly Lam-Moores – handball player
- John Bowman – charity marathon runner
- Ken Edwards – Chelmsford Volleyball Club coach
- Clare Lauwerys – fundraiser for LAM Action
- Jed Stopher – charity runner
- Mark Proctor – Canoeist
- Mark Springett – Moulsham community leader
- Martin Rice – Inspirational cancer sufferer
- Moesha Howard – youth athlete from Chelmsford
- Paul Draper – local fundraiser
- Sylvia Sergeant – Chelmsford Athletic Club







