Presented by BT, Lloyds TSB and Sainsbury's, this year's Paralympic Torch Relay takes on a new concept, with four separate Flames to be lit in London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

The four Flames will then be brought together at a special ceremony at Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympics, to create the London 2012 Paralympic Flame.

A total of 580 Torchbearers, on a 24-hour journey, will take the Flame from Stoke Mandeville to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford for the Paralympic Opening Ceremony on August 29.

One of the more high profile Torchbearers announced today was Mike Mackenzie, the chair of the Poppa Guttmann Trust, one of the nominees submitted through BT's public nomination campaign.

Mackenzie sustained spinal cord injuries in 1993 while working for an aid agency in Bosnia and has helped to raise £750,000 ($1,165,500/€938,700) for spinal injury and blind charities.

Through his work at the Poppa Guttmann Trust, Mackenzie was instrumental in organising a cast-bronze statue of Sir Ludwig "Poppa" Guttmann, the German neurologist who founded the Paralympic Movement in 1948 by creating a wheelchair archery competition at Stoke Mandeville for injured World War II soldiers.

The statue, sculpted by another BT nominated Torchbearer, Mark Jackson, was unveiled at Stoke Mandeville on June 24, alongside a bronze bust of Sir Ludwig which will be displayed at all Paralympic Games.

Martin McElhatton (pictured above), has played wheelchair basketball for Britain and is now chief executive of WheelPower, a national organisation for wheelchair sport founded by Sir Ludwig and based at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium, was nominated by Lloyds TSB.

"It is incredible hearing the inspirational stories of the teams and individuals that have been selected to carry the Paralympic Flame," said London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe.


"Whether they have been together for years or have been brought together around a common story, they have all demonstrated how they are living the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality."

Other Torchbearers include 15-year-old Robert Taylor (pictured above, right) who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which has no current cure and is causing Taylor's muscles to weaken over time.

Taylor, however, continues to be active and has kayaked in Scotland and taken up archery.

He attends Acorns Children's Hospice, a charity offering a network of care for life limited and life threatened children and young people not expected to reach adulthood.

Taylor along with Alexander Curtis (pictured above, left), who also attends Acorns, and Sue Curry, Kayleigh Hawkins and Nazmeen Bi (pictured second left, centre and second right), who work at Acorns, were also announced as Torchbearers via Sainsbury's public nomination campaign.

All the Torchbearers announced today were submitted through public nomination campaigns run by BT, Lloyds TSB and Sainsbury's who sought to find teams and individuals from across the UK who have demonstrated the Paralympic values of courage, determination, equality and inspiration.

"We understand the awesome power of Paralympic sport to inspire all of us and that's why we've brought teams of amazing people together to carry the Flame this summer," said Suzi Williams the director of BT Group Marketing and Brand.

Sally Hancock, the director of 2012 partnership at Lloyds Banking Group, said: "We invited people from across the UK to nominate someone who has supported and inspired people with a disability in their community to carry the Paralympic Flame.

"We're delighted to continue to bring the excitement of London 2012 to the hearts of communities across the country and we're inviting everyone to recognise these extraordinary people and to cheer on their local Lloyds TSB Torchbearers as they have done throughout the incredible journey of the Olympic Torch Relay."

Click here to find out more the Torchbearers announced today. 

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