London 2012: Jersey Olympic torch relay route revealed

The Olympic torch will travel to Jersey on 15 July and be carried by 16 people running in relay along the island's south coast, Locog has said.

One of the people carrying the torch will be Paola Mitchell, who works as a personal trainer at Fort Regent.

Mrs Mitchell said she was "totally overwhelmed and excited" by the news.

The torch will arrive in the island at about 12:00 BST and travel along Victoria Avenue to Weighbridge Place in St Helier.

It will arrive in the island on a specially chartered British Airways flight, coming in from Guernsey where it will have spent the morning.

Other Jersey torchbearers announced on Monday include Mark Harris, who ran seven marathons in seven days, and BBC Radio Jersey sports reporter Richard Collinson.

Anthony Lewis, who was a senior journalist at the Jersey Evening Post until he had a stroke five years ago, will also be a torch bearer.

Celebration event

David de Carteret, from Jersey Tourism, said the aircraft had been specially prepared for carrying a lit flame and was the same one travelling with the flame around the British Isles.

On its journey to Weighbridge Place, the torch will travel around the Waterfront and along La Route de la Liberation, past Liberty Wharf and Liberation Square.

It will join up with a celebration event with entertainment and the lighting of a cauldron at Weighbridge Place.

Each torchbearer will carry the torch for about 300m (330 yards).

Mrs Mitchell said she had not been able to concentrate at work since finding out she would carry the flame.

She said: "A lot of my clients have been really excited, I have been running around the gym like I'm running with a torch."

She was nominated for the role by her husband and said that she had been on cycle rides for a hospice, represented the island in volleyball and been on two overseas aid projects.

Mr de Carteret said the torch would visit "three venues on the same day, starting in Guernsey, coming to Jersey for lunchtime and then moving on to Portsmouth in the evening".

During the 10-week relay the torch will be carried by 8,000 torchbearers and will travel about 8,000 miles.

Locog says the torch will come within 10 miles of 95% of the population.