Analysis: What could the torch mean for us?

Killingworth in Newcastle is 293 miles from the track where, on a tense night in August, the world will be gripped by nine and a half seconds of sprinting in London.

It is a long way from the North East, which has just one event to its name: football.

But the architecture outfit FaulkerBrowns in Killingworth won the contract to design the Olympic venues for sailing and canoeing, creating 30 jobs over three years.

Olympic fans argue the torch will bring more of the same: it could give the region another slice of the Olympic pie.

If you were hoping that the North East would stage more of the games, then you were probably always going to be disappointed. In 1948 the Games stretched to Torquay, but not much further. The postwar ‘austerity games’ could not have felt more national in sentiment, but was based firmly in London and the south.

But Olympic optimists present another view. They say that while we may not be staging the events, we can still host the celebration.

Already, North East businesses have won more than £100m of contracts, and there are still many more up for grabs.

When the torch comes to Sunderland, there will be a series of events, including festivals and concerts. Each village that quietly dots the route will have its own version.

Ask former Olympic medalist, the 'Jarrow Arrow' Steve Cram what he thinks about Olympic fever in the North East, and you’d have to clear your diary. He has the fever.

He is hoping the torch is the moment we all get it and, as he sees it, people will understand the reason to celebrate.