Almost since the Nottingham Express Transit (NET) launched in 2004 there has been a tradition of the trams being named, with all 37 of the fleet now carrying a name. These are split between famous national personalities as well as local community heroes. 201 has been named after former Olympic ice dance champions Torvill & Dean for 21 years, but recently there was a rededication of the tram as the pair came back to the city to perform the last shows of their farewell tour at the Nottingham Motorpoint Arena.
The rededication ceremony took place at Wilkinson Street Depot and was the first time that the pair had actually unveiled the name as previously it was applied without them being present. Its also a bit a change for the name as its gone gold (as they celebrate 50 years together) and features a small silhouette of them as they performed their Olympic winning Bolero routine.
After the ceremony Jayne Torvill and Christoper Dean travelled on their tram to Lace Market which is located close to the National Ice Centre and Nottingham Motorpoint Arena. Once there they also unveiled the Torvill & Dean ice rink which is at the National Ice Centre. This recognises its history as it provided the training ground ahead of the pair’s Olympic victory in 1984.
Jayne Torvill and Christoper Dean commented: “This is a special moment for us. Whenever we are in Nottingham, we’re always really excited to spot our tram and we love that our name has been on one for all of these years. Because our names were one of the first to be put onto the trams when they first launched, this is the first time we’ve actually attended an unveiling ceremony. It’s a brilliant way to celebrate being back in the city where we grew up, and where lots of wonderful memories have been made. And we are delighted to have one of the ice rinks at the NIC named after us, as we prepare for our final four shows at the Motorpoint Arena.”
Alison Sweeney, Head of Marketing at NET, said: “Beyond getting people around the city safely, we recognise that in our role as a public transport operator, it’s so important to commemorate the brilliant people who are born and bred in Nottinghamshire. We do this through naming our trams, so the hundreds of people who use our network every day can be reminded of the fantastic achievements of people across Nottingham.
“Torvill & Dean are sporting icons, so have already had a tram named after them for years – but we wanted to mark their 50 year farewell tour with something special, so have updated the signage to reflect the numerous gold medals that they have won over the years, as a reminder of their commitment and achievement.”