Kevin was nominated for his work in helping to establish the charity Elizabeth’s Legacy of Hope.
The Olympic Flame will arrive from Greece on 18 May 2012. The Torch Relay will begin at Land’s End on 19 May 2012. It will travel over 8,000 miles in 70 days.
The final Torchbearer will carry the Flame into the Olympic Stadium during the Opening Ceremony on 27 July 2012. The cauldron will be lit, and Games of the XXX Olympiad will be officially open.
Read the full piece from the Wandsworth Guardian here.
Clapham man nominated to carry Olympic torch
By Rachel Blundy
A man who helped a family recover from a bus crash has described his shock at being nominated to carry the Olympic torch.
Kevin Craig, of Chelsham Road, Clapham, said he was “genuinely flabbergasted” and “humbled” to hear he had a chance of holding the flame, which will be carried by 8,000 people from Land’s End to London next summer.
He said: “I do not feel worthy of it. I feel humbled. All I have done really is to help people I know and care about.”
Mr Craig, managing director of Lambeth based lobbying and PR firm PLMR, was nominated after he helped his friend Christopher Hope and his family recover from a horrific bus crash. The crash at Mortlake bus station in 2007 killed Mr Hope’s mother-in-law Elizabeth, seriously injured his wife Sarah, and left his two-year-old daughter, Pollyanna, needing a prosthetic limb.
The bus driver was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of grievous bodily harm.
Mr Craig, who is also a former Lambeth councillor for Larkhall, subsequently enabled Mr Hope’s wife, Sarah, to set up Elizabeth’s Legacy of Hope- a charity which funds prosthetic limbs for children and which is backed by Joanna Lumley and Heather Mills.
Speaking about his involvement, he said: “It was really important for me to help the charity because it is a really good cause. I am in awe of what they are doing.
“But I do not see my role as the pivotal one. There are thousands of people that are much worthier than me. Clapham, I am in no doubt, is full of very worthy nominees. I am very proud to be part of them but I do not feel that I have done anything particularly special.”
Mr Craig, who grew up on the Springfield Estate in Stockwell, said he was looking forward to watching a beach volleyball match with his family when the games come to London in 2012.
He said: “I think the Olympics are wonderful for London, for Clapham and for Streatham. I am very excited to be alive then it is happening.”
The winning torchbearers will be announced in February 2012. For more information visit www.london2012.com/games/olympic-torch-relay
You can also view this article on the Wandsworth Guardian website.
