OKEHAMPTON air pistol shooter Georgina Geikie cannot wait to swap pulling pints in her local for pulling triggers at the Royal Artillery Barracks as she sets her sights on London 2012.

Despite being just weeks away from potential Olympic glory, the 27-year-old is still making ends meet at the Fingle Bridge Inn pub in Drewsteignton as she makes her final preparations for the games.

Geikie has just returned from the ISSF World Cup in Munich, where she finished 57th in the 25m air pistol and 81st in the 10m after her selection as part of Team GB was confirmed last month. And for now she has put down the pistol and started picking up glasses again – but she can't thank the pub enough for all their support as she gets ready for the biggest summer of her life.

'All the people have been really fantastic to me at the Fingle Bridge Inn,' said Geikie, who also benefits from being on the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes programme. They give me work which fits in with my training and around my competition schedule, which is so kind of them.

'It's great to speak to the locals here in the pub and around town as well. So many of them have tickets for the Olympics, and friends and family saying they will be coming down. There are so many people in this town who have helped me get to where I am now. There's no greater feeling than being able to represent all of their hard work when I compete at the Olympics as much as mine.

'It's because of the pub and the Lloyds Local Heroes scheme that I'm able to do what I do. I'm not funded at all so all of their support has been great. I would like to be able to give something back to Lloyds and maybe work with the scheme at some point. Some of the experience I've had can maybe inspire others from around the country who are looking to get involved.'

Geikie was also able to thank everyone in Okehampton when she carried the Olympic Torch through town on May 21 – and she admits it was the perfect taster of what's to come this summer.

'It's just all systems go for the Olympics now,' added Geikie. 'I'm getting my head down and training as much as I can and keeping myself focused on London. 'Carrying the Olympic Torch gave me a small insight to the kinds of crowd that a home Games is going to offer.

'I couldn't believe how many people were down there at 8am on a Monday morning. There were hundreds of faces I recognised, which was great. I was born here and went to school here so it was a dream come true. But I can only imagine what the atmosphere will be like at the Olympics.

'Being selected for an Olympics full stop is the highlight of most athletes' careers but when it's on home territory that just makes it much more special.'

As the only National Presenting Partner of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, Lloyds TSB is bringing the excitement of the Games and Olympic flame closer to you.  To find out what their doing in your community and who carried the flame at lloydstsb.com/olympictorchrelay