by Graham Tutthill

gtutthill@thekmgroup.co.uk

The Olympic torch will come through Dover and Maidstone, it has been announced today. But it won't enter the country through the port.

A campaign had been staged in Dover to try to persuade the Olympic organisers to bring the flame into the UK through the port just as it did in 1948, the last time the Games were held in London.

A Pass The Passion relay, involving children from every school in the district carrying a replica of the torch (pictured left), was held as part of that campaign

The torch will enter the country at Lands End and will come to Dover from Hastings on Wednesday 18 July 2012 and then on to Maidstone the next day.

The route is expected to take in 70 towns and cities throughout the UK in the two months before the Games begin, culminating in the flame being carried into the Olympic stadium.

Dover District Council leader Cllr Paul Watkins has welcomed the news and said there will be celebrations in the town on the day the torch arrives which he believes will attract people from a wide area.

An evening celebration will include an entertainment show and a cauldron being lit from the Olympic flame.

"This is headline news for Dover and the whole area, and follows a sustained campaign and hard work by a range of community partners," he said.

"This is a major opportunity to showcase Dover in a national and international arena, and follows the eyes of the world turning to the district for the Open Golf Championship this year.

"It will provide an important economic boost, as well as a chance for community celebrations, and is a great opportunity to help spread the Olympic spirit across the area."

Sebastian Coe, chair of London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, said: "The Olympic Flame will shine a light right across Dover, celebrating the culture and heritage of the area and showcasing the very best of Dover."

Children from Priory Fields School in Dover and Hornbeam School in Deal were among those taking part in the ceremony at Dover today, singing the Pass The Passion song.

The search has also been launched today for the 8,000 torchbearers who will carry the flame. GB hockey player Ashley Jackson, who was also at the launch, is nominating his brother Wesley. The brothers are pictured above.