FOR this young family, welcoming the Olympic Flame to Dorset on its UK tour is as much about personal heritage as it is national pride.

Emily Hammick, 35, is the granddaughter of Commodore Douglas Neame, an Olympic athlete who brought the torch in a boat across the English Channel to Britain in 1948, the last time the Games were held in London.

Mrs Hammick, landlady of the Gaggle of Geese pub in Buckland Newton, said the torch, passed down through her parents, was a family heirloom. “It’s quite heavy, I can’t imagine carrying it all the way across the Channel,” she added. “The base is wooden, with a metal bowl on the top, decorated with Olympic circles and dates.”

The torch, powered by gas, was on display in the pub, which Mrs Hammick runs with husband Mark, 40. But the pair took it down after worries over security. “It is quite valuable, and it was getting harder and harder to make sure it was secure,” said Mrs Hammick. “We’ve put up photos of it, and we’ll be taking it down to the Dorset Seafood Festival in July, because we are having a stall there.”

Mrs Hammick looks forward to passing on fond memories of her grandfather to her daughter, 11-month-old Dolly.

She said: “We called him Grandpa Naughty, because his middle name was Mortimer, and he would chase us up the stairs. He was a real character.”

Commodore Neame, Distinguished Service Order (DSO) Bar, was born in 1901 and represented Britain in the 110 metre hurdles at the 1928 Summer Olympics. In 1930 he won Bronze in the 440 yard hurdle at the Empire Games, now known as the Commonwealth Games.

He died in 1988.

Mrs Hammick, who grew up in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, brought the torch with her when she took over the Gaggle of Geese in 2008. And the heirloom has now seen the pub recognised in a national competition.

The Famous Grouse Famous Pubs award notes pubs all over the country that are famous for quirky reasons. The list includes former Beatles’ haunt the Philharmonic Dining Room in Liverpool.

“We’ve no idea who nominated us,” said Mr Hammick. “But we’re very grateful.”

The couple received a plaque to mark the recognition.

“It does make it special, with the Olympics coming to London and Weymouth next year,” added Mrs Hammick. “It’s a lovely way to remember him.”