Thousands of people lined Enfield’s streets this afternoon to greet the Olympic Flame and its 25 torchbearers.

Volunteer fireman Eddy Legros, 40, proudly carried the torch into Waterfall Road by Betstyle Circus just after 3.10pm.

Hundreds of people set up camp in The Green, Southgate, to wait for the 18-minute Olympic torch procession to pass.

A flurry of people arrived minutes before the torchbearers made their way through the street, with crowds four to five people thick.

Emotions ran high when 24-year-old war hero Jack Otter, who lost both legs and an arm after a bomb explosion in Helmand Province in 2009, realised his dream and walked with the Olympic Flame.

When speaking to the Enfield Independent in March, he said wanted to walk with prosthetic limbs while he carried the flame rather than use a wheelchair.

Crowds cheered his name and cried words of encouragement to the brave soldier who looked emotional as he carried the Flame for two minutes in The Green.


His family were there to cheer him on as well as two members of his former battalion, the 2nd Battalion of the Rifles regiment.

Soldiers Liam Hargreaves, 21, and Kyle Bygraves, 24, flew from Northern Ireland especially to watch their friend carry the torch.
Rifleman Hargreaves said he was “hoping” Mr Otter would be able to walk with the flame, but was not sure because he has suffered from infections in the past.


MP for Enfield North, Nick de Bois, who was in The Green with his family, said: "I’m really pleased to be here – it is a little bit of history and a great occasion. I have some of my family here and I just hope we can see something. The barbecues smell great - so far, so good."

The torch swiftly moved onto Southgate College where torchbearers were given a much-deserved 20-minute break. Torchbearer Kelly Nodding-Scott, who has Down’s Syndrome, was up next and met cheers from crowds at 4pm.


Zeynep Esen, 20, who is studying chemistry at the University of Leeds, watched the procession with two friends outside Southgate Tube station.

She said: “It was pretty cool. It was pretty lively – it was really fun to see. I am surprised about how big the turnout was but I thought there would be a lot of people here.”

Maria Georgiou, 40, has lived in Enfield for four years and watched as the torch passed through Southgate.

She said: "It is lovely - this is the first time I have felt a sense of community here since I moved in. It has been really nice. The music was wonderful - it felt like the Notting Hill Carnival. It has been a brilliant day."

The torch wended its way through the borough, travelling through The Bourne, Bourne Hill, Green Lanes, Ridge Avenue and Church Street before leaving Fore Street in Edmonton at 5.20pm.