NOSTALGIA: Wiltshire's memories of London 2012 Olympics

Wiltshire’s very own athletics star Tom Gale, from Trowbridge, and Ramsbury-based equestrian Jesse Campbell are among the ones to watch this year.

Nearly a decade ago, the entire county was brimming with excitement as the London Olympics set up shop just an hour’s train ride away.

Athletes, sports teachers, coaches and armchair enthusiasts were all urged to get on their marks and get set for the games, that promised to be like no other.

Then London mayor Boris Johnson officially received the flag from the mayor of Beijing Guo Jinlong in 2008.

Meanwhile, outside County Hall in Trowbridge, promising young local athletes congregated to mark the countdown to the 2012 Olympics in London.

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Isabel Djivanovic from Sutton Veny, Sophie Wiilliams from Winsley and Katie Moffat from Stanton St Quinton, were joined by Cllr Jane Scott, former leader of Wiltshire County Council and other Wiltshire officials.

In 2010, Craft Coffee and Chat and Bowerhill Busy Bees, two groups who routinely met at Bowerhill Village Hall, got involved with a national initiative to make 12,000 pennants for the London Olympics through a website called Quilts4London.

Liz Norris, Jenny Butcher, Pam Jackson, Betty Roberts, Rachel Newman and Marilyn Williams

Two years later, four Wiltshire residents got to complete a five-mile race around the new Olympic Park.

Dominique Oughton, Ben Maxfield, Cassie Reid and Rich Ayling were among the 5,000 runners taking part in the event.

All eyes were on the south of the county on July 11, 2012 as 35,000 people descended on Hudson’s Field, at the foot of the Old Sarum, near Salisbury, for an Olympics-themed festival.

A year of preparations by Wiltshire Council culminated in the day’s extraordinary events.

Local acts, including singers, dancers and musicians, starred alongside big name performers including rapper Wretch 32 and Britain’s Got Talent dance act Twist and Pulse.

They were being quickly followed by the arrival of the Olympic torch at 6.50pm with a cauldron being lit on stage.

To celebrate the Olympic torch spending four days in the county as part of its 70-day relay around the UK, Wiltshire Council and NHS Wiltshire also urged people to take part in the Wiltshire Challenge by swimming, walking, running, cycling or rowing a set distance - all during the time the torch travelled around the UK.

Hilperton’s Francesca Fox and her fellow GB team narrowly missed out on the final

During the London Olympics itself, Hilperton rhythmic gymnast Francesca Fox and her Team GB team-mates left Wembley Arena with their heads held high as they brought their London 2012 adventure to a close.

The 20-year-old and team-mates Louisa Pouli, Rachel Smith, Jade Falkner, Ly nne Hutchison, and Georgina Cassar missed out on the final after narrowly finishing 12th.

Schools across the county were also inspired by the great sporting event. The Calne Games, a tribute event to mark London 2012, involved 10 primary schools from in and around the town.

Sprinter Danny Talbot with Trowbridge’s Caitlin Thacker

And in October 2012, Olympic sprinter Danny Talbot joined members of Trowbridge Youth Parliament to unveil a mosaic tribute to this summer’s games.

He gave a speech before cutting the ribbon and said: “It’s about creating a legacy and inspiring a generation and, hopefully, we’ve been able to do that.

"We’re not going to create Olympic champions overnight, but it’s just about getting kids into sport.”