The passage of the Olympic torch across the United Kingdom promises to be one of the most iconic and spectacular events during next year’s London Games.

So the news that Bradford, along with Keighley and Ilkley, have been chosen as locations to host the torchbearers during the relay is fantastic for the whole area.

It gives people the opportunity to see close-up the Olympic Flame, the enduring image and symbol of the games. And it allows communities to share in the spirit of the London Games, which will undoubtedly be a historic event for the whole country next year.

The exact dates and routes of the flames’ passage through the district have still to be unveiled, but there is no doubt that huge crowds will turn out to support the torchbearers as they blaze through the area. And special events will undoubtedly be laid on in celebration.

It is important that places like the Bradford district, and all the other cities, towns and villages that are on the relay route, make the most of this once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the Olympic ideal.

The event is the London Olympics and it would be too easy for other parts of the country to feel left out and ignored. The torch relay will help widen the spirit of the games to encompass virtually the whole country.

But it is up to the people of our district, and every other region, to make the most of this opportunity and get involved as much as possible. Set up events, hold parties, cheer on the torch bearers as they pass through.

Just don’t sit back and say it’s London’s event and why should we get involved. It may be the London Olympics in name, but its spirit can reach across the whole country if we allow it to.