Day 52 of the Olympic Torch relay – Luton to Oxford

Today is day 52 of 70 for the London 2012 Olympic torch relay and will see the torch travel from Luton at 6:39am to Oxford at 5:15pm, passing through Dunstable, Milton Keynes, Bletchley, Buckingham, Winslow, Whitchurch, Aylesbury, Stoke Mandeville, Aylesbury, Waddesdon, Bicester, Kirtlington, Woodstock and Kidlington along the way.

Luton: Todays route is a real zig-zag across the country from East Anglia towards Oxford, via several famous locations.

The torch will initially leave Luton around 6.34am and take the short route over to nearby Dunstable, then onwards to the “new town” of Milton Keynes with its famous concrete cows.

Bletchley: Leaving Milton Keynes, the torch is due to arrive at the famous Bletchley Park around 9.03am where the WWII code breakers decrypted secret German messages sent on the Enigma Machines.

Stoke Mandeville: Following several other towns, the next big stop will be Stoke Mandeville, home to neurosurgeon Sir Ludwig Guttmann who founded the Paralympic movement which is such an important part of the modern day Olympic Games.

One of the torch bearers will be Keith Jansz who was paralysed in a car accident in 1995 and treated at Stoke Mandeville Spinal Unit, and is now a major fundraiser and mouth artist. He will carry the torch via a special attachment on his wheelchair.

Oxford: There are several events in the historic city of Oxford including a free evening celebration in Oxford’s South Park, and the Iffley Road running track which will feature Sir Roger Bannister who was the first person to run the sub-four minute mile, and inspired the film Chariots of Fire.