Maltese philanthropist carries London 2012 Olympic torch

Updated at 5:30pm

Michael de Giorgio, a philanthropist who founded the Greenhouse Charity, has carried the London 2012 Olympics torch at Shepherd's Bush along Uxbridge Road in London today.

This morning, de Giorgio hosted the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who had named Greenhouse Charity as one of the charities to receive donations, rather than gifts for their wedding.

De Giorgio carried the torch at 5:05pm (Malta time).

De Giorgio, 55, formed Greenhouse in 2002 after calling time on his life as an accountant and selling his Mayfair consultancy, Portman Consultants. Working from the kitchen of his house in Holland Park, where he lives with his wife, Marianne, and their three children, he laboured tirelessly, drawing neither salary nor expenses, to build a small but much admired charity.

His model of after-school clubs, which is supported by London mayor Boris Johnson as part of his strategy to tackle knife crime, uses sport as a driver to transform lives and level the playing field. He employs 60 coaches in 47 after-school programmes - offering football, table tennis, basketball and dance - to 8,000 kids, including special-needs children, in 37 schools and community centres in south, east and west London. All on a budget of £3 million.

Greenhouse Charity empowers young people in London's most disadvantaged communities to realise their potential through high quality, intensive sport and dance programmes delivered by inspirational coaches.

By working full-time in schools and in the community, Greenhouse coaches develop strong relationships with young people. The coaches help the youth improve their health and fitness whilst mentoring them to improve their engagement with their education and community.