Published at 10:41, Saturday, 23 June 2012

IT rained. In fact it poured.

But the torrential Lake District weather did nothing to dampen the spirits of excited schools pupils, Cubs, Brownies, Scouts and Guides as they embarked on a bus journey to Bowness.

It had all the hallmarks of a school trip.

There was excited chatter and tomfoolery among the pupils; the authoritative tone of “sir” rang out over the assembled crowd and, teachers’ mobile phone numbers were passed out – just in case.

Gladly, there were no such emergencies.

The 60 or so children, from Dowdales School, Ulverston Victoria High School, St Bernard’s Catholic High School and Furness Academy, spent a safe evening absorbing the atmosphere and enormity of the event they had been lucky enough to attend.

The Olympics had finally arrived in South Cumbria.

Also among the group was Paula Johnson, a former member of the Great Britain Paralympic basketball team, who took part in the torch relay in Tow Law, in County Durham, last Saturday.

She had travelled with the group to see things from a different perspective.

The 34-year-old, of Hindpool, Barrow, said: “I felt so emotional, especially when I saw the film of the torch’s journey, knowing I had been a part of it.

“It was great to see it as a spectator.”

The buses had been put on by Barrow Transport Group after Furness MP John Woodcock contacted it.

He said: “I was so pleased everyone seemed to have had a good time, and seeing people’s emotions as they saw the torch will stay with me for a long time.

“We owe a great deal of thanks to Barrow Transport Group for helping to make this happen.”

The atmosphere on the return trip was rather more subdued as the second of the buses – one had left at 9.30pm – chugged out of the car park at 11pm on its way back to Barrow.

Subdued, only because the energies of those on board were channeled in a different direction; into making sense of what they had just seen and experienced on the trip of a lifetime – that had taken them just 25 miles up the road.

Published by http://www.walneylocal.co.uk