NEWMARKET welcomed the torch in style as the relay also coincided with the town’s annual carnival.

Mayor of Newmarket George Lambton said: “It was a fantastic day and it was a memorable event.”

He said the carnival had been really well-attended and people stayed on to see the torch.

Andy McGowan, 24, who is a manager at McDonald’s in Bury St Edmunds, carried the torch for the opening leg down Fordham Road.

He said: “To be honest until we [torchbearers] were on the bus and saw the crowds it was really surreal for everyone.”

He added: “It was a lifetime memory for me.”

Mr McGowan cared for his two disabled parents from the age of six which affected his schooling, yet he managed to graduate from Cambridge University with a law degree. He volunteers with a project for young carers in Cambridge, where he lives, and he is also involved in supporting young carers on a national level. He is a full-time manager at the McDonald’s in Bury town centre and is also involved with running the apprenticeship programme there.