Dover celebrates news the
torch will visit there en route to the capital

It's been revealed - Dover and Maidstone are the Kent towns to
be chosen for the Olympic torch route.

After intense speculation, the two key areas of the county will
share a moment in history - when the Olympic flame makes its way to
the capital ahead of the 2012 games.

Thousands are expected to line the streets of Dover on July 18,
when the iconic beacon passes through.

And the next day sees it making its way, together with runner,
to the county town of Maidstone.

Olympic Torch
announcement at the Sea Sports Centre in Dover

From left, Hockey player Ashley Jackson with his brother Wesley who
he is nominating to carry the torch

Both towns have been lined up as
overnight stopovers for the torch.

The announcement comes a year to the
day to the start of the Olympics.

An announcement has been made at Dover
Sea Sports Centre, on the Esplanade, this morning.

Attending the special event are Team
GB Hockey Player Ashley Jackson, Paul Watkins, the leader of
Dover District Council, Nadeem Aziz Chief Executive of Dover
City Council, Cllr Mike Hill, Kent County Council, and Martin
Green, LOCOG Head of Ceremonies.

A second,
more detailed route announcement will be made later this year,
providing information on the other cities and towns the Olympic
Flame will visit on each day of the Torch Relay in the South
East.

Dover District Council leader Cllr Paul Watkins 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."

Do you want to be a torch bearer? Click
here to find out how you could be one of the 2,012 inspirational
runners to carry the flame.

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."

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.

Do you want to attend this
event? Tell us what it would mean to you below.

Kent MP Hugh
Robertson responds to the announcement.