Olympic Torch Relay in Hull and East Yorkshire: Updates, pictures, information

The Olympic Torch has spent the first of two days in East Yorkshire.

• For updates from day two of the Olympic Torch Relay in Hull and East Yorkshire click here.

Throughout the day, we've been updating its progress as it is carried through the region. Send us your pictures by emailing paul.johnson@northcliffedigital.co.uk, upload them straight to our picture galleries or tweet us @thisishull.

7.40pm: Reporter Lucy Lyon says traffic returning from West Park is not too bad, despite crowds estimated at anywhere between 12,000 and 20,000.

Earlier, Lord Mayor Danny Brown offered good luck to all Britain's Olympians, and Hull's Luke Campbell in particular, before the flame was lit.

Then, the final torchbearer Amy Hopkin lit the cauldron to the acclaim of the crowds.

That's all from the live blog tonight but we'll continue to add pictures and video to our Olympic Torch report here.

And we'll be back bright and early to cover the relay as it starts up in Hull from 7am before heading to Brough and Goole.

Finally for tonight, here's video of Jean Bishop, Hull's 'Bee Lady', carrying the torch down Holderness Road:

7.20pm: Amy Hopkin has lit the flame to huge cheers! The entertainment in the park is continuing but people are starting to leave after witnessing what was for most people a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity ... although, of course, if you get up early tomorrow morning you can see the torch set off again from The Deep.

7.18pm: The flame has reached West Park and the cauldron is about to be lit ...

7.12pm: Excited crowds in West Park have been told the torch is not far away. In fact, it's just coming up to the Anlaby Road flyover.

Here's footage of the torch a few moments ago in Hull city centre:

7.05pm: Not long to go now until the cauldron is lit in West Park and anticipation is building. Indie band Little Comets are on stage.

6.53pm: Huge crowds in Hull city centre as the torch moves into Queen Victoria Square.

In West Park, Ann White, 70, is eagerly anticipating the arrival of the torch. She says: "I would love to go to the Olympics but I did not get tickets. So, I wanted to come down and welcome the torch to Hull.

The crowds waiting for the torch have just enjoyed a spectacular acrobatic display.

Teresa Coton has brought six-year-old daughter Billie along to enjoy the event. She said: "It is a lovely family atmosphere and everyone is having a great time. I am just pleased to be able to share such as momentous event with Billie."

Meanwhile, there's a great video here of Bee Lady Jean Bishop completing here leg of the relay.

6.45pm: The torch is in Hull city centre. It has crossed Drypool Bridge and hundreds of people are cheering it down Alfred Gelder Street.

6.25pm: James Smith is pumping his arms for the crowds in Holderness Road. He's really going for it and people are responding! James supports Children's Care Hospices in South Africa.

In West Park, Twist And Pulse have just finished their lively set. The Mail wonders where they get their energy from!

6.14pm: In West Park, Twist And Pulse say, "We can't believe how many people are here!". Thousands upon thousands of people have congregated on West Park, which is bathed in sunshine. A great family atmosphere.

Back in Holderness Road, the crowds are thinning out quite quickly now the torch has passed. A lot of families are heading to the pub. Everyone agrees it was a once-in-a-lifetime event - something the children will always remember.

6.10pm: Jean looks absolutely thrilled. The crowd cheered her all the way down her stretch of Holderness Road. The crowd loved her. Linda Barber is now taking over.

6.06pm: Hull's 'Bee Lady' Jean Bishop has the torch in Holderness Road.

Jean, 90, has raised more than £87,000 for Age UK by collection cash in Hull's shopping centres.

She suffers from arthritis but has been practising for her leg of the relay.

"It's not the Olympic run for me, it will be the Olympic crawl," she says.

"My daughter says that with willpower and the crowds cheering me on, I will be fine."

Richard Mann has just completed his leg with the torch. Huge cheers and waving children.

Richard has completed The Hell On The Humber endurance race among other challenges, but no doubt this run was as nerve-wracking as any!

Meanwhile, streams of people are making their way into West Park - families, Cub Scouts - "It's not quite like Hull Fair," says Lucy Lyon, "but it is getting there."

5.55pm: Absolutely packed on Holderness Road. Looks like the whole of east Hull has turned out.

We're starting to add some more pictures in this gallery - send us yours and we'll post them.

5.47pm: On the way towards Holderness Road. Big crowds lining the streets of East Hull cheering and screaming.

In West Park, railings have been put up to guide torchbearer Amy Hopkin into the park. The route is already lined by hundreds of people with Union Flags.

Meanwhile, here's video from Beverley by Alex Hodgkinson, in the town for This Is Hull And East Riding:

5.38pm: Angela Rendell has the torch. Fantastic scenes as the flame is passed to the next torchbearer, Adam Franks.

Thousands of people have lined the four-mile stretch of Saltshouse Road where the torch is passing. Some families are sat in their front gardens with a glass of wine and a BBQ.

Meanwhile, Lucy Lyon, on her way to West Park, says Newland Avenue is strangely deserted. That's not surprising when 30,000 people are expected at this evening's celebrations.

For full details of the torch route today and tomorrow, entertainment along the route, traffic information and parking, read our guide to the Olympic Torch route in Hull and East Yorkshire

5.34pm: And now to 14-year-old Reece Wysthoff on Wawne Road.

Meanwhile, in West Park, the first performance is about to start. Broad Horizons will demonstrate Hull's "big possibilities". It will feature costumed characters.

5.28pm: The torch has been handed from Claire Stockton to Hannah Broadley, 20.

5.20pm: The relay is now well under way in Hull. In West Park, where there will be a celebration event this evening, thousands of people ahve already gathered. A golden stage with a cauldron is ready to receive the torch, where it will be lit at 7.20pm.

5.06pm: Rachael is now carrying the torch. Crowds are playing the Hull Olympic Beat, says reporter Katie Knass.

Meanwhile, great video footage here of the torch in Bridlington from our photographer Simon Kench:

5pm: In Hull, we're coming up to the first change with Rachael Duff. Sponsor trucks are rolling through. Great scenes here.

Meanwhile, EYMS says traffic in Beverley is returning to normal.

4.49pm: Huge anticipation building on Kingswood now, says our reporter Lucy Lyon. Banners of support for Rachael Duff who is set to be the first torchbearer from our area to carry the flame in the city. Hundreds are lining the streets with flags and banners as a squad of police bikes come through.

A bit more on Bridlington, where photographer Simon Kench says crowds were eight-deep in places.

"I think half the population of the town turned out to welcome the torch. It was hot and sunny and the spectators have done themselves proud and put the town on the map."

Simon adds that torch official he spoke to were thrilled by the welcome from Bridlington folk.

4.43pm: Not long before the Olympic Torch arrives in Hull. On Kingswood, the whole of Bude Park Primary School have come down, from age three to 11.

Teacher Katy Drinkall says the kids are very excited.

"We have been watching it on TV coming closer and closer throughout the day.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see it."

4.37pm: The Minster bells are ringing in Beverley to greet the torch.

Meanwhile, in Hull, crowds are building near Asda, Kingswood - the next stop on the journey.

4.30pm: Large cheers for the sponsors' buses in Wednesday Market. A word of warning - the first convoy that comes through is not the torch - a few people have been caught out by that and left without seeing the real thing!

4.22pm: The torch is in Beverley!

4.05pm: Natalie Murphy, reporting for us in Beverley, says there is a superb turnout and people waiting for the torch are enjoying a rare glimpse of the sun. Deckchairs are lining the route! Only moments to go now.

3.50pm: The torch got a great East Yorkshire welcome in Bridlington, no more so than when Sophie McMullen completed her leg of the relay as large crowds lined the street to watch.

Sophie, 18, a high-flying pupil at Frederick Holmes School has severe athetoid cerebral palsy which affects all four limbs and her speech.

You can read more about Sophie's story here.

3.40pm: Traffic update: Bus firm EYMS says there were a few delays in Bridlington after the torch passed through, but nothing major. They say traffic should return to normal quite quickly, which bodes well for the rest of the day.

3.30pm: Screaming vuvuzelas - with still almost an hour to wait in Saturday Market. Meanwhile near the Minster, a slightly more genteel atmosphere - families have brought out the picnic blankets and deckchairs and are tucking in to food and drink! There are Union Flags on the Minster fence. A real party atmosphere.

3.15pm: Waving Union Jack flags, residents cheer Badr Alshibani as he sets off with the torch along a sun-drenched Scarborough Road.

Among those in the crowd is Veronica Robson, dressed in yellow, raising funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

She says: "It has been a great turn out and it is great the torch has come through Bridlington."

3.03pm: Torch bearer Badr Alshibari is surrounded by photographers. Led by a convoy of party buses, the torch run is under way.

3pm: The torch is in Bridlington! Hundreds cheer as the flame is lit.

2.55pm: It's nearly time for the torch to arrive in Bridlington. Crowds are lining the route waving Union Flags:

The torch is due to arrive in Hull shortly before 5pm. Here is a map of the route:

2.40pm: Bands are playing music on the streets of Beverley as more and more people swell the numbers waiting to greet the torch, says reporter John Townend.

2.30pm: According to Neil Mutch, on twitter, the torch has arrived in Filey to a "nice welcome from the crowd".

Pictures of families waiting for the arrival in Bridlington, which is due at just after 3pm, are coming in from photographer Simon Kench.

2pm: More than two hours before the torch is due to arrive in Beverley town centre, Toll Gavel is being lined with metal barriers, says reporter Jon Townend.

Hundreds of people, mainly schoolchildren, are waiting in bright sunshine.

Teams of wardens are marshalling crowds as people strive to get the best vantage points.

1.15pm: Thanks to Andy Oliver for his picture of the stage at West Park, with the cauldron ready for the arrival of the Olympic Torch this evening.

12.20pm: Hull's Lord Mayor Danny Brown says he's looking forward to welcoming the torch to West Park this evening. He'll be sharing a stage with rock band Little Comets and Britain's Got Talent stars Twist and Pulse, before the Olympic cauldron is lit at around 7.20pm.

A few hours up the road, the torch has arrived in Scarborough where thousands have been waiting to greet it.

11.30am: Rachael Duff is expected to be the first East Yorkshire torchbearer in Hull. You can cheer on Rachael in John Newton Way, Kingswood, between Grimscott Close and Dulverton Close, just after 5pm.

Rachael was nominated by colleagues at The Chestnuts Surgery in Cottingham in recognition of her tireless charity fundraising, including a cycle ride from John O'Groats to London and a run from the Tower of London to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

She tells us this morning that, despite the butterflies, she is excited and proud.

"What a moment for local people and children to see this iconic piece of royalty in Hull," she says.

"This will be the longest, yet most memorable 300 metres of my life.

"I don't embark on my fundraising challenges for reward, I do it because I enjoy it and it helps those less fortunate, or indeed, those who I can help make their lives better."

Meanwhile, Humberside Police are asking drivers to avoid torch travel hotspot areas if possible. Rolling road closures are expected to be in place for at least half-an-hour at each location.

11am: The torch set off from Middlesbrough this morning and is due to reach Bridlington at 3pm.

It will arrive in Beverley at 4.16pm and Hull at 4.56pm. The flame will then be carried through the city to a celebration event in West Park.

Dozens of torchbearers are preparing for their day in the spotlight.

Among them is boxing coach Mike Bromby, who has trained more than 50 championship winners.

He will carry the torch along Anlaby Road, between Linnaeus Street and Coltman Street.

Mike said: "I am really looking forward to it. We are closing the gym so people can come down and there will be family, friends and people from out of town coming. It is for everyone this, not just for the people who are carrying the torch, but for the city of Hull."

Read about more of our torchbearers here.

Despite the drizzle this morning, it looks like the rain will largely stay away. The Met Office says the sun will peek out through the clouds and is forecasting temperatures of about 17C. Keep in touch with the weather forecast here.

When the torch reaches Hull, crowds lining the route are being encouraged to drum along to a special Olympic rhythm:

Dancers and drummers will be stationed throughout the Hull section of the relay, including Chinese lion dancers in Bude Road and a samba band in Queens Gardens.

It has already been a dramatic day on the torch route. In Marske-by-the-Sea, near Redcar, torchbearer David State interrupted his relay leg to propose to his girlfriend. She accepted!

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