HAIRDRESSER Terry Smith says he feels “truly honoured” after being told he might be chosen to carry an Olympic torch through York during its relay next year.

The London 2012 Torch Relay Team has informed the Tang Hall barber he has made it through to the next stage of the selection process, and his nomination will be reviewed by a regional selection panel this autumn.

The organisers say 12 regional selection panels will be looking for 2,012 individuals with the most inspirational stories of personal achievement and/or contribution to the local community.

They say an “incredible response” means close to 28,000 nominations are to be reviewed by the panels, and Terry therefore has about a one-in-14 chance of being selected for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to carry the flame.

Terry, who owns Classic Cutz hair salon in Fourth Avenue, said he felt truly honoured to have been nominated and shortlisted, and would be very proud if he was chosen to carry the 2012 Olympic Torch for a mile through York.

He said: “The thought of being part of the 2012 Olympic Torch Relay is so exciting. It would be a one- off lifetime achievement. I shall be keeping my fingers crossed that I am selected.”

He said he had been nominated by his mother, Janette, for the honour because of his charitable work and his actions when he tried to stop a drunken motorist setting off on a terrifying drive through a York suburb with a child in the back the car.

The motorist ignored his warnings and drove off, nearly running over Terry’s feet, and he and a friend then called police and followed the drink-driver as he mounted a kerb and drove straight across a roundabout before eventually crashing into a tree. The incident led to Terry being nominated for a Press Community Pride award last year.