YOUNGSTERS from Ryedale primary schools got the chance to see an Olympic torch at close quarters.

Pupils from Pickering Infant and Junior Schools, as well as those from St Joseph’s School, met Olympic torch bearer, Vanessa Buckle, who carried the torch through Pickering last week.

A mass assembly was held for the children from all three schools where they heard from Vanessa what the experience of running with the flame was like, and how difficult the experience was for her.

The children were able to hold the real Olympic torch and make their own torches, symbolising what they considered to be the spirit of the Olympics.

About 10,000 people are estimated to have watched the Olympic torch arrive in Pickering.

The flame stopped off in Pickering during its visit to North Yorkshire, and more than a million people are believed to have seen the torch relay’s journey through Yorkshire – the highest figure in any county so far – according to tourism body Welcome to Yorkshire and its Olympics offshoot Yorkshire Gold.

Marion Buchanan, who owns the White Swan Inn in Pickering, said: “The spirit of the day was infectious and having the famous flame in our town was great for business from both tourists and locals.”

Crowds of more than 80,000 greeted the torch relay in York, with North Yorkshire Police saying Twitter users spread 2.12 million tweets containing torch-related hashtags used by the force to provide information about the event around 172,000 different accounts last week.