THE people of Worcester were out in force again this morning to bid a fond farewell to the Olympic flame.

From before 7am crowds of people made their way into the city centre to watch the famous relay wind its way out of town.

By 7.30am the crowds around Cathedral roundabout and the Elgar Statue were already several deep.

Littered with Union flags, they excidedly waited the flame's arrival.

An early start - at least 15 minutes - took many by surprise.

There was a sudden excited murmur amongst the crowd as they realised the torch was being lit by torchbearer Monica Martin next to the Elgar statue.

She ran past excited crowds lining the road outside the cathedral, as she made her way down College Green into Kleve Walk to pass the baton.

On South Quay the fountains gently trickled as the crowds gathered next to the river.

There was even a BBC booth where people could have their photograph taken 'in front' of the Olympic stadium for free.

And then the flame was spotted emerging from the grounds of The King's School and winding its way along the river bank.

Rowing alongside it on the water was a dragon boat - drum beating.

And in a flash it had gone up on to the bridge on the final leg of its Worcester.

Alicia Kelly at St John's

THE Olympic Torch has passed through St John’s on its way to Malvern.

People had lined the streets to see it pass by – but some said they were disappointed because it arrived 15 minutes earlier than scheduled and they missed it.

McAyla Johnson, aged 15, carried it along Bromwich Road at around 8.15am to cheers and shouts of, ‘Well done McAyla.’ The schoolgirl fought a brave battle back to health after being knocked down on London Road in 2008.

Jackie Hunavan, of Lower Wick, said: “McAyla has done so well.

“I thought it was wonderful.”

But Harvey Hudson, of Calgary Drive, Lower Wick, said: “People have missed it.

“My son has given up a morning’s work to see it.

“It’s not right.

“Be a few minutes late by all means but not early.”

The torch has previously left Worcester Cathedral on its way through St John’s to Malvern.

Neil Watts at Malvern Link

MEMBERS of the Malvern Link community gathered in their thousands to give the Olympic Torch a warm welcome.

The gateway to the town along the Worcester Road was lined with smiling faces young and old in every vantage point with many describing it as a once in a lifetime experience.

Loud cheers and rapturous applause greeted every torchbearer, including Worcester’s Richard Brown of the Joanna Brown Trust who strode out from Spring Lane.

More than 100 pupils from Dyson Perrins CE Academy got up close and personal with former sprinter and Olympic medallist Jamie Baulch as he offered a helping hand while they took part in a circuit training session on the common.

Tarik Al Rasheed in Malvern Link

MALVERN Wells was a sea of red, white and blue as patriotic residents packed the streets to give the Olympic Torch a rousing reception.

Pavements all along the main road disappeared under a sea of people well before the torch convoy started to roll in at about 9.20am.

Police on motorcycles were greeted by cheers as they waved to the crowd, before dancers and cheerleaders riding open top buses helped whip the anticipation up to fever pitch.

Once they had passed all attention turned to the torchbearers themselves, with Alice Wright, Maurice Figuerdo Kariembaks, Vivian Martins and Rick Evans each running a relay leg before the torch sped off towards the Herefordshire border to continue its mammoth journey.

Lynne Sykes, who came out to support the torch with friends and her son Philip, age eight, said: “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and a nice, exciting event, particularly for the children. I think it’s just going to be a great year, with the Jubilee and the Olympics themselves still to come.”

Another impressed onlooker was Mike Morgan, a former chairman of Malvern Hills District Council, who had travelled over from Upton with his family to catch a glimpse of the procession.

“I thought it was a fantastic turnout, we had the weather for it and there was plenty of atmosphere and it was a very good community occasion,” he said.

• The Worcester News has published an eight-page souvenir special today so make sure you nip out and grab a copy! We'll also be featuring more Torch stories in tomorrow's newspaper.

• Click here for out photo gallery