The Olympic Torch has arrived in London and is making its way around the city’s boroughs this week.

The torch landed at The Tower of London on Friday evening, delivered via helicopter by a Royal Marine Commando, Marine Martyn Williams. The soldier made a jaw-dropping 180ft abseil with the torch from the Royal Navy Sea King chopper at 20:12 hours, reflecting the year of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

London & Partners staffer Georgina Warren saw it from Potters Fields on the south side of the Thames: “Watching the Chinooks sweep across the London landscape and see the torch reach the Tower was a real goose bump moment.  I hadn’t expected to feel part of the ‘moment’, being across the river, but seeing the soldiers waving from inside the helicopters and the wave of emotion that hit as the crowds cheered them on suddenly made it all feel real, and made those watching feel part of what is about to happen… one of those ‘I was there’ moments I can tell people about in the future.”

Today’s torchbearers included Ceinwen Giles, who was first to carry the flame this morning, and British actor Sir Patrick Stewart.

The torch continues through London’s boroughs all week before ending up at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford for this Friday’s opening Ceremony. You can watch the torch relay online at www.london2012.com/torch-relay/video/live.htm

Let us know if you’ve seen the torch live in London in the comments below.

Ceinwen Giles, 37, will be carrying the Olympic torch in her home borough of Lewisham on 23 July, as part of the Olympic torch relay around the UK. She was chosen to be a torchbearer following her recovery from blood cancer.

How did you become a torchbearer?
I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma just after I had my daughter. It was really advanced so I had to stay in the hospital for five months after she was born, but it’s now been two years since I went into remission. I used to be a long-distance runner before I got sick and my husband nominated me as a torchbearer because he thought it would be a nice present for me to carry the torch.

How does it feel to be chosen to carry the torch?
A lot of the people who have been chosen have amazing stories, so to be in their company is a big honour. Being a runner, I’ve always been a big fan of the Olympics. I’m probably never going to make it to the Games, so this is the closest I’ll ever get!

What will happen on the day?
The torch is coming to Lewisham early in the morning, so I’ll get picked up in a bus with the other torchbearers. I’m running in Lewisham where I live – the route is really close to our flat so I have friends in the area which is great. The relay organisers haven’t said the exact distance I’ll be running but the average is something like 300m. They drop people on and off in a van and have a party in the evening. I’m looking forward to that and to meeting new people.

Have you done much preparation?
I’ve been watching the relay online and everyone else has been running their section so I want to run the whole thing. So I’ve been going for some runs and making sure I’m fit – carrying the torch is good motivation to get back into shape.

You’re a trustee of a cancer charity – will the relay help raise awareness?
You’re not allowed to wear a sign or a banner during the relay, but we might do some fundraising like asking people to donate if they get their picture taken with the torch. The charity is Shine Cancer Support – it supports adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s who have had cancer. There are a lot of cancer charities out there but most of them care for people who are much older or much younger, so it fills a big gap.

What will you do with your torch after the relay?
I won’t be selling it on eBay! I think I’m going to keep for my daughter. She’s two and a half now and I’d like her to have it as a souvenir of everything we’ve been through.

The Olympic Torch is making its way around the UK on its 70-day relay and is set to arrive in London on 21 July, the weekend before the Games begin. You can line the streets to cheer it on or visit an evening celebration when it stops for the night. Here are some of the top spots to catch a glimpse of the symbolic flame.

21 July: Greenwich to Waltham Forest
The torch will set off from the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich (7:21) and pass through Newham and Tower Hamlets. In the afternoon it will visit The One Hackney Festival (16:48) in Clissold Park, before passing Hackney Town Hall (17:56). The ballot for tickets to the evening celebration at Chestnuts Showground in Waltham Forest closes on 21 June – anyone can apply although priority is given to local residents.

22 July: Redbridge to Bexley
The second London leg of the tour begins at Redbridge Cycling Centre (7:19) before crossing the lake in Fairlop Waters Country Park (7:50). It can be spotted on the light railway at Barking Park (9:50) and will lead the Carnival Parade at the Dagenham Town Show (11:42).

23 July: Deptford to Tooting
The morning route begins near Deptford Creek (7:20) and heads to Bromley and on to Crystal Palace Park (10:35). It will journey to Croydon and Sutton before it can be seen at Wimbledon’s All England Club (5:32) which is hosting the Olympic tennis.

24 July: Chessington to Ealing
The flame starts moving again at Hook Community Centre in Chessington (8:22). It will be carried through the heart of Brunel University campus (14:46) and past Hillingdon Town Hall (15:41).

25 July: Wealdstone to Haringey
Headstone Manor and Museum in Wealdstone (9:17) kicks off the day’s relay, which heads through Harrow, onto Brent and past White Hart Lane.

26 July: Camden to Hyde Park
The torch will begin the penultimate day outside the Roundhouse in Camden and will travel by barge along Regent’s Canal. It will visit landmarks including St Paul’s Cathedral, the Museum of London and Shakespeare’s Globe, finally passing Buckingham Palace before the final evening celebration – a huge finale concert in Hyde Park featuring artists including Dizzee Rascal and Katy B. Tickets are now on sale priced at £15.

27 July: Up the Thames to the Olympic Stadium
The torch will take to the Thames for its final journey on a boat from Hampton Court (11:30) to Tower Bridge (12:30). It will arrive to appear in front of 80,000 people – and a worldwide TV audience of millions – at the Opening Ceremony at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford.

To make your torch relay plans you can see a list of every borough the torch will pass through or the detailed street-by-street map here.

The Olympic Torch, the London 2012 Velodrome and a piece of lace from the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress all feature in the longlist for Designs of the Year at the Design Museum.

A wind-propelled landmine detonator, virtual Tesco store and pop-up cinema (Folly for a Flyover in Hackney, East London) were also selected for the longlist.

The nominated products will be on show at the Design Museum from next month. The winners will be selected by a jury and announced on 24 April.

• Designs of the Year is at the Design Museum from 8 February to 15 July 2012

Its triangular design has been inspired by the three significant trios behind the London 2012 Olympic Games. These include:

• the three Olympic values of respect, excellence and friendship
• the UK has hosted the Olympic Games three times
• the vision for the London 2012 Olympic Games to combine three strands of work – sport, education and culture

The torch was designed by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby and engineered and built by British firms Tecosim and The Premier Group.

It’s 80cm high, made of aluminium and weighs just 800g, making it one of the lightest in the history of the Olympic Movement. The gold torch is perforated by 8,000 small cut-out circles, representing the 8,000 different Torchbearers and their stories of personal achievement.

The circular holes, which run the length of the torch, mean people can see right into the heart of the object – and they’re practical too, helping keep the torch cool.

The 70-day Olympic Torch relay will take in most of the UK ahead of next year’s Games.

The relay starts at Land’s End on 19 May and travels 8,000 miles before arriving at the Olympic Stadium on 27 July for the lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony.

We think it looks rather classy – what do you think?