Thousands turn out to cheer Olympic Torch in Ilkley (From Ilkley Gazette)

Thousands turn out to cheer Olympic Torch in Ilkley

9:07am Thursday 28th June 2012 in News By Jonathan Redhead

It may have taken until day 37 to arrive... but it was worth the wait for thousands who turned out in Ilkley to see the Olympic flame.

Estimates suggest more than 20,000 people lined the streets to catch a brief glimpse of the torch as it made its way through the town on Sunday.

The sun came out at just the right time to shine on the relay, and as with other places across the district, the crowds turned out in enormous numbers.

And spectators were treated to the sight of one of their own – 74-year-old Margaret Cook – among the trio of torchbearers.

Mrs Cook, a former nurse, who has been instrumental in helping Soroptimists International in Sierra Leone, was wreathed in smiles as she accepted the flame right in the centre of Ilkley.

She set off at a gentle jog acknowledging the crowds, who had taken up every available vantage point, including the top of traffic lights, and were 20-deep in some places along the route, which was along Skipton Road and Leeds Road on the A65.

Mrs Cook, who lives in Ilkley, was also accompanied by the bells of All Saints Church, which sounded a full peal to announce the arrival of the Olympic Torch, which is now more than halfway along the 8,000-mile relay across the United Kingdom.

Other people to carry the flame in Ilkley were Richard Milner, 38, and Timothy Wilkinson, 50, both of Leeds.

It then continued on its way along the A65 to Leeds for the final section of its journey through West Yorkshire, before heading southwards to eventually arrive at the Olympic Stadium in late July for the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.