National Lottery - Olympic Park Run!

Date: Friday 30th March 2012

Destination: London

Mission: National Lottery Olympic Park Run!!!

On Friday the 30th March 2012, my parents arrived in Sheffield to pick me up for the most exciting trip to London I'd ever been on......so far!!!! 

On Saturday 31st March 2012 I was due to run the National Lottery Olympic Park Run!! 5mile route around the Olympic Park......the first competitive event to be held in the stadium......and I was going to be one of the first 5,000 to cross the finishing line in the Olympic Stadium.......Wow!! Here's the route for those interested!

I'd received an email advertising the run through Bupa running, having been on their mailing list from running the Great North Run and Great North 10k's for the previous few years. I thought I may as well apply, although the odds of actually getting a place were very low! I'd regret not applying when I saw it on the TV - wishing I could have been there! By entering the ballot at least I had some chance of taking part!

The cost of entering the run was only £15 - believe me, I would have paid a lot lot more for this opportunity so I thought it was a bargain. In the weeks leading up to the run I'd been suffering for a stupid, painful, cough....after the run I found my cough was actually a chest infection (Ops!!) I'd refused to go to the Doctors about it as I didn't want to be told this, and to be advised I shouldn't run!

My parents and I had booked rooms for the night before and after in the Travelodge in Stratford, only a 10 minute walk to the park, the location couldn't have been any better!

On the Saturday morning, we got up bright and early and headed to Westfield Shopping Centre (aka. Shoppers heaven!). We'd heard that you could get a good view of the park from the window in John Lewis.... this was no lie! The weather could have been a bit more sunny - but for running, the weather was ideal! I also got a chance to meet Wenlock and Mandeville again, after my time as a SEV.

After a swift wander back through Westfield, off we went to the Olympic Park! I was so so excited I could have wet myself.......thankfully I didn't :)

Entrance to the park was via the Stratford Gate, after 3 walk through metal detectors (although I'm sure these weren't actually plugged in!) we reached the airport style security point. Bags on the conveyor and another walk through metal detector! I was pleased that, unlike every time I go on holiday, I didn't beep, meaning I could run straight into the park! I was very impressed by how efficient this process was, and wondered if they could make it this efficient when it came to games time!

On entering the park there was none of the pink over head signs we all know from Games time, instead there were fences covered in The National Lottery Banners as a lot of the park was still a building site! Lots of people were getting their photos taken along side them, so it was rude for me not to! 

It was pretty quiet when we entered the park, one could have called me a keen bean, dying to get inside! On entering the stadium, everything just got too much! I'd followed the building of the Olympic Park (remember I'm a civil engineer - so that sort of thing is right up my street!) and as a Games Maker Applicant at the time, I simply couldn't believe I was there. I couldn't believe I was actually standing in the Olympic stadium. My parents found the fact being in the stadium made me so emotions it reduced me to tears hilarious. Likewise, the security guard working at the top of the stairs at a good giggle at the expensive of my tears - but I didn't care! I was just so happy!

Once I'd pulled myself together and dried the tears, it was time to take some photos! Who knew if I'd ever get the chance to come back into the park - I had no Games Maker Role or tickets at the time, so I thought I best make the most of it!

Dad and I climbed the stair right to the very back of the stadium to check out the view from the there - we were both pretty impressed that you would still get a pretty decent view from the 'cheap seats'. Looking back, its strange seeing the stadium so bare without its fabric façade and pretty coloured lights!

Before I knew it, it was race time! I decided I'd run with my camera, so that I could take photos on my way round and share the memories of a partly built park with my friends and family! Everyone lined up and there was an unforgettable sea of red t-shirts!

One of the runs participation criteria was that everyone was to wear their race t-shirt which was sent out in advance of the run. It was a very impressive sight!

The race begun with a group stretch, although space was a bit tight so some of the moves were slightly limited but to be honest I don't think any warm up was needed with the amount adrenaline in my blood, warming me up nicely with excitement!

Nearly 15 minutes after the first runners it was my turn to cross the line! 

On the panel to be pinned on the back of my t-shirt I'd wrote 'Geordie Racer'. This lead to various shouts along the route of 'Toon Toon' and 'Geordie!'. There was also a few people who ran alongside me, also from the north east, asking where I was from, and general just supported each other for the part of the run! I found this run was the most sociable run I've ever done. Anyone you found yourself beside did their best between pants to chat and generally just share the enjoyable experience. 

I'll never forget one lady, who must have ran behind me most of the way round. I decided at about the 4.5mile enough was enough and I couldn't really breathe any more so had to walk! The lady behind me patted me on the back, and said "I'm so glad you decided to drop to a walk here, we're close to the stadium so it's a good idea, but I'd promised myself I wouldn't stop until you did! Thank you for the break!". We then walked for a minute or so chatting about how amazing the experience was before I decide it was time to finish the run at a proper pace with pride!

I finished the run in a time of 52:05 minutes! Boom! What an achievement for someone with a chest infection, running whilst taking photos!

After the run, I spent a bit of time watching the Stadium entertainment and catching my breathe before it was time to sadly leave and go back to real life! I'd joked that I'd love it if Tom Daley was at the run...sadly I hadn't spotted him, until I opened my race pack I got at the finishing line and found him on the front cover of the London Prepared Magazine! Aha! Maybe not in person....but I had found Tom Daley in the Olympic park ;)

I left the park with 1 final photo (on top of the many I'd taken but won't bore you with!), my race pack and medal, as one very happy girl!

In the lead up to Games, I'd be an avid follower of the sustainability and construction side of the park - I still am now with the regeneration of the park! One of the quirk things I read about the park was canal crayon art work! I'm a bit of a geek and collection pencils from various locations, so I thought having these in the park as functional art was AMAZING! I'd been sad that I hadn't seen any of them whilst running acround the park....but just as we were crossing the bridge by the aquatics centre my mam points and says "are those them stupid crayon things you've been on about?".....YES we'd found them! Turns out we would have spotted them on the way in, if we hadn't had been so fascinated and engrossed by the stadium! Seeing these, my visit to the park was officially complete - simple things, I know :)

After I'd finally left the park - we had another wander through Westfield where I found a shop, Pull and Bear, that I'd never heard of in the north east. After a wander in, I found my sweaty smelly self in the changing rooms trying on a pair of dressy shorts! I've no idea what the changing room guy thought of my sweaty mess trying on their clothes.... Thankfully they fitted so I bought them!

After a quick shower and change we headed back to Westfield for dinner. We settled on 'The Real Greek' in the outside area of Westfield, where we enjoyed a nice selection of meze. On leaving the restaurant I couldn't believe my eyes..... the Olympic Park was all lit up.....very impressive! Walking back to the hotel turned into another photo opportunity!

That was it, Olympic Park Run adventure was officially over, off I returned to back to Sheffield with my t-shirt, medal, memories and photos, not knowing if I would get the opportunity to come back. I'd had my interview and was still playing the Games Maker waiting game.....thankfully my dream came true!

Addition: The route I followed for National Lottery Olympic Park Run in 2012 can be found on my Endomondo Page - it should give you an idea of hills etc: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/45552932/2899302

The road to London 2012......Getting to the Games!

Volunteering for London 2012 was much more than the 12 nights I was in London....

Wednesday 15th September 2010: Application submitted to be a London 2012 Gamesmaker!

"Congratulations on successfully completing your application to become a London 2012 Games Maker!"

I applied for any venue based on the Olympic Park, even though football was based only 15 mins down the road from home at St. James Park, I really wanted to be down 'in the thick of it' in London! If I was going to be involved, I wanted to be properly involved......Following this...the wait began!

Thursday 13th January 2011: Applied to be a SEV... Selection event volunteer!

Through the Sports Volunteer Programme at Newcastle University I was forwarded an email to apply to be a Selection Event Volunteer when LOCOG came to Gateshead. The role involved interviewing potential Gamesmakers! I thought it would be an amazing opportunity to get involved before games time! With many things, I think what's the worst that can happen? They can only say no!

Wednesday 9th March 2011: Invited for a SEV interview!

"Thank you for applying to join the Selection Event Programme. I am pleased to confirm that after reviewing your application we would like to invite you to an interview for the role of selection event volunteer (SEV) in the North East."

Woooooop!!! Being accepted for this, gave me the first real excitement that London 2012 was actually happening and I could be a part of it!!

Thursday 31st March 2011: SEV Interview time!

Off I went in my little car to One Northeast for the SEV interview! I was fully suited up in my PhD interview suit and passion for the Olympics, not really knowing what to expect!

Thankfully I didn't get lost and arrived early! Sitting in reception with a few other potential SEV's we all got chatting. It turned out that I'd been recognised from my UK School Games 2010 staring appearance My staring role.

The interview began with an introduction to why London were naming the volunteers Games Makers and the video of London being awarded the games. It was a full on goose-pimple moment! 

The interview was made up of 6 questions. Alongside the standard interview questions you'd be asked for any job/volunteer role there was a question about my olympic games memories. This reminded me of being little, lying on the floor of the my parents living room watching the Olympics, asking if they'd ever come to England for me to see 'in real life'.....!

Wednesday 6th April 2011: Selected as a SEV!

"We are delighted to offer you the role of Selection Event Volunteer, with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). This is a unique opportunity to be involved with London 2012 in a pre-Games volunteering role."

They want me? I had to pinch myself, again and again! WOW!

Tuesday 12th April 2011: Selected for a Games Maker interview!

"Congratulations, you are one step closer to becoming a London 2012 Games Maker!

We have reviewed your application and would like to invite you to a selection event at the Baltic Centre, Gateshead."

EEeeeee!!! An interview....I've actually got a chance at going to London? EEeeeee!!! It was a rub my eyes and read again moment!

Following this email I logged into my Gamesmaker Zone and successfully booked my interview, where I discovered I'd be assigned to the Hockey team. I had previously volunteered as a Volunteer Team Leader for the UK School Games held in Tyne and Wear, at the hockey venue - hence the functional area I'd be assigned to at that point!

Saturday 7th May 2011: SEV Training!

The SEV Training was held in the Percy Building of Newcastle University, where at the time I was studying my undergraduate degree! It was a fun filled day learning all about what being a SEV entailed and how to deal with difficult questions and various personalities that we'd come across! 

It was great to meet a whole host of SEV's and their hear their backgrounds and why they wanted to be involved with London 2012! Leaving the training I felt ready and prepared for the SEV adventure ahead! I was armed with my SEV Training programme, all I needed to finish now was a little thing called my final year dissertation, due the day after my 1st SEV Shift....Ops! Was I cutting it too fine?

Thursday 19th May 2011: First SEV Shift!

So, my final year dissertation was due in on Friday 20th May, the day after my first SEV shift! Being a dedicated London 2012 Volunteer my dissertation was bound and submitted 3 days early on Tuesday 17th May, just to make sure I would be ready for the 19th!

As a SEV we were all give a nice white Games Maker polo top, lanyard, wristband and 2012 pin badge....along with a pretty much unlimited supply of Cadbury's Miniature Heroes whilst we were on shift - nom nom nom! We also got a voucher for lunch/dinner/breakfast in the Baltic Cafe - very nice!

The shift began with a walk through the Selection Event Experience! We were given a walk through from the interviewee side of things, to get a full idea of what attending the Selection event was like from the outside! This took us for a tour around the exhibition on the games and into the cinema for the Eddy Izzard film!

After my training, I was all set for my 30 minute turn around of volunteers! Wow. 30 minutes is not a long time sat in your pod! 7 questions, 1 potential volunteer, 1 SEV, 2 chairs, a table, a timeline, 2 cups and a jug of water - LETS GO!

Manning the outside of my numbered pod, I patiently waited for my very first potential Games Maker! 20 minutes later I was thanking the lady for her time and wishing her the best of luck in her Games Maker Journey before I totted up her scores and returned my form to the SEV manager for the day!

The interviews were pretty much all a blur, I can't even remember how many people I interviewed over the time! There are a few of the interviews that stick out in my mind for various reasons but in general I had everything from tears of joy, tears of sadness, confusing, misunderstanding, excitement, and pretty much every other emotion under the roof!

"As you will know, we have a lot of potential Games Makers to interview, so please don't be worrying if you haven't heard by the end of the week or anything as we won't be allocating roles until the beginning of next year!"....lost count of the number of times I said that!

My time as a SEV was totally unforgettable, I heard about some amazing experience and reasons for people wanting to  volunteer as Games Makers! Many of the stories were very humbling, leading me to think I was was actually qualified enough to be interview the extraordinary people in front of me!

Monday 24th May: Games Maker Interview!

As I was volunteering as a SEV, my Games Maker interview wasn't on any set day. I was told at the beginning of my SEV shifts that it would just be fitted in by one of the SEV Managers when I was on shift and things were quiet. This gave me no definite date so preparation and nerves just didn't really happen!

In my interview to be considered as a SEV I had already been asked questions 1 to 6 of the Games Maker interview, that left only questions 6 and 7 to be asked in my actual Games Maker Interview!

Question 6 - Why are you suited for your role in the Hockey team? Hhmmm.... I know nothing about hockey....!! I drew upon my experience at the UK School Games talking about how although I don't know the rules of hockey I knew where volunteers were required and how to manage them! 

Question 7 - Would you like to be considered as a Team Leader at the Games? I had experience of leading a team, but after selling my experience, I pointed out that it wouldn't be make or break me going to the games as I'd be happy to be involved anyway they'd want me to be!

My interview was held in my favourite, "pod with a view" it was the pod at the back of the area, over looking the River Tyne from the back of the Baltic Centre. To be honest, it couldn't have been a more perfect interview! Now it was just time to cross my fingers and wait.....

Friday 17th June 2011: SEV Thank you from Seb Coe!

Seb Coe is one of my life time idols - he's up there with the Queen and Kevin McCloud. So when this unexpected email dropped into my inbox you can imagine the smile on my face!

"....I have received outstanding feedback from the Regional Volunteer team that worked with you – about your passion, enthusiasm, and flexibility.  During the selection event in the North East we had our busiest single day of interviewing at one of our Regional selection events, with our SEVs collectively interviewing 208 applicants.  We have also recently interviewed our 10,000^th regional Games Maker applicant – a tremendous milestone that you helped us achieve on our road to London 2012. 

Thank you once again for being a key part of the team on our journey to London 2012 and I hope you enjoyed the event.

Seb Coe"

And then I waited......and waited........AND WAITED! 

Can you sense the anticipation?? Daily checking of emails and Games Maker Zone, just in case the email went missing.... refresh, refresh, refresh!! The deadline for hearing had passed and I'd still heard nothing. We had been told we'd know by the end of April if we'd been accepted......I still waited.........UNTIL!

Monday 21st May 2012: My Games Maker offer for the Paralympic Games!

Only 332 days, or 10 months, and 27 days, after my interview and just under 3 months before the Olympic Opening Ceremony! Woah!!

"Congratulations!

Following your interview to be a London 2012 Games Maker, we are delighted to inform you that we would like to offer you a role in the Look team as a Mascot Team Member at the Paralympic Games!"

I don't think I've ever been more excited by an email EVER! Not even the email with my PhD over made me as excited! After spending months reading about other people getting their offers and hearing nothing I'd kind of given up hope on getting a role and was awaiting the 'thanks but no thanks email' but no - I was wanted!!! 

This left me just over 3 months before the Paralympic Opening Ceremony to sort everything!! If you've read through this, you'll notice that my functional area for the games had changed, instead of the hockey team, I had now found myself part of the Mascot team! Mascot team? What is that? Do I need to dress up? Do I need to dance? OMG!

After a quick search on the Games Maker Zone....This is what I found:

“The Mascots are some of the most memorable and best-loved parts of every Games, and you'll be vital to getting their magic out there! Your team will be coordinating the Mascots as they operate across the Olympic Park and other Games venues - for example making sure their costumes are ready, supporting their briefings and helping to manage their appearances with spectators.”

This sounded rather erm....interesting! A lot different to hockey at least!

The rest of May and June was spent hunting out accommodation and working out my train times! I'd be luck enough to secure a bursary from the Community Action Trust to help me fund my time at the Games! This was a massive help and I cannot thank the trust enough for their financial help!

Tuesday 26th June 2012: Role Specific Training!

Destination: Hackney - College! Mission: Get to a part of London I'd never ever been to before on time...in the dark!

Again it was another train down from Sheffield, arriving at Hackney for around 4:30pm, leaving me an hour to find this place! After walking down the wrong street for 10minutes I consulted my Blackberry for directions when things didn't look as they should! Aha - quick change of direction, a dodge around 'drunken lady' and I was back on the right track!

I arrived at the College a little early, had my documents checked, worried that I'd turned up on the wrong date and the wrong time, but no, all was good. I was then shown to the class room where there were a few games makers already there! Phew!

In the training we were given our Games Maker 'Bibles' a complete guide to everything we would need to know in order to be amazing Games Makers. The evening started with some ice breakers and then generic Games Maker details, then we got to meet the LOCOG Entertainment team for the 1st time!

After a break for some food and biscuits we were then separated into our 2 groups; mascot team and entertainment team! This is where I'd find out if I was to do some singing or dancing, or spend my time at the Games dressed as Wenlock or Mandeville!

Thankfully it turns out the professionals were the ones dressing up, those who had years of experience doing this kind of thing - thankfully! I found that my role was to support the mascot appearances, making sure the overexcited little kids, and even big kids, formed orderly queues and knew what was going on! I was also told I might have to break some hearts if there was a large queue as Mandeville only had a certain amount of time he could play out for at once! I also learned that at certain times of the day, a mascot buggy would be heading off around the park, which the Mascot team would be chaperoning! By chaperoning, they meant singing and dancing along side it to this song.... Mascot Dance!

Leaving RST, the buzz of London 2012 had returned, after the months of waiting, thinking I'd hear nothing back the joy and excitement of London 2012 was back! It was great to meet the people I'd be working along side along with putting the faces to names on emails! I don't think I stopped grinning all the way back to Sheffield!

Wednesday 1st August 2012: Uniform Distribution and Accreditation Collection - UDAC!

Whilst in London on some other business (I'll blog about this 'other business' later!) I headed over to UDAC to collect all things London 2012!

This is the sign which I spotted telling me I'd found what I was looking for! On arrival at the gates there was 2 cheery security chaps who's only remarks were "errr you got your passport or driving license yeah?", being nice and prepared, I had both so on I went!

Going into UDAC it reminded me a lot of a trip to Ikea! At the reception desk I was registered and given my 'shopping list' sheet! This was a list of all the things I needed before leaving UDAC with space for the Games Makers there to detail my sizes etc! Following the yellow line around the Ikea style set up, I bypassed the 'photo shoot area' as I'd already had my photo taken at the selection event! By the time I got there a nice lady was standing and asked "you must be Nicola then" and handed me my invaluable accreditation complete with the stylish photo!

Next stop was the 'shop entry' here they scanned my accreditation and directed me round to 'Clarkes' for my trainer fitting! Here there was a selection of seats and a Games Maker asked me what size I wanted. After trying on a few pairs I settled on a size 7, apparently the socks we were getting were a bit thicker and a bigger size would be more comfortable a few days into wearing I'd been told! From here I was directed to sit on another line of empty chairs before the next stage of the adventure!

Just as my bottom was meeting the chair another Games Maker came around the corner..."would you like to follow me please?"....so off I went. When I turned the corner, lined up in front of me were racks and racks of Games Maker, Officials and what ever else uniforms along side a set of changing rooms that would give Primark a run for it's money! After a good 20 minutes (maybe more!) I settled on a size small for my uniform as the medium, I decided, was just too big - although the small was very fitted!

The final step in getting my uniform was the 'baggage area'. Here I handed my shopping list of sizes to the Game Makers in this area and they packed up my uniform and trainers alongside bag, socks, cap, water bottle and Swatch - my personal favourite part of the games maker uniform! After it was bagged it was then taken to the checkout where 2 lovely Games Makers scanned and bagged my precious uniform ready for departure!

The final stage in UDAC was the collection of my Games Maker Oyster card, allowing me free travel around London during the Paralympics!

Overall, I found my trip to UDAC AMAZING! It really got me ready for what was about to come! I was only there for about 40 minutes, with the majority of the time being spent trying on different sizes of clothes and then re-trying them again! Who would have known packing your Games Maker Uniform would take up so much room!!! It's a good job I wasn't flying to London!

Sunday 19th August 2012: Olympic Park Paralympic Venue Specific Training 

Armed with my accreditation I headed off for Sheffield to catch an early morning train to London. Given that it was a Sunday, I had the battle of the Sunday train which likes to stop at every station on route to London!

Arriving at the park it was very surreal! Having been here just a few weeks prior to this, on Super Saturday, the park was in it's transition phase, and feeling like a ghost town! 

I made my way through security, and across to the copper box where I'd watched the handball. On arrival we were given a couple more sheets to add to our Games Maker Pocket Guide, a bottle of water and a famous Nature Valley bar - with chocolate in I'll add!

The training began with a few introductions and house keeping before the presentation began! A lot of the presentation was to do with health and safety whilst on the park and in venues. We were also told who to call in an emergency -  'Olympic 999' as it's stored in my phone still!

After the formal side of the training, we were broken off into our functional areas to go on a tour of the park! We had a walk up to the velodrome, the bandstand was pointed out, along with the emergency assembly points. The tour finished at the point where we would be checking into our first Games Maker shift just a few weeks later.....It was all becoming so real now!!

Overall, the training lasted about 2hr30 of the 4hrs it was said to take. I got to meet some of the Games Makers I'd be volunteering alongside in the weeks ahead. This lead to a final wander around Westfield before heading back to St. P's for the train back to Sheffield.

Wednesday 29th August 2012: Departure from Newcastle to London!

Read the rest of my London Adventure here!

My London 2012 Games Maker Adventure - Summary!

The GREATEST 12 days of my life in words...... 

On Wednesday 29^th August 2012, I departed from Newcastle Central Station – destination  London for the Paralympic Games!!!

I was lucky enough to have a ticket for the Opening ceremony, so with a quick check into my hotel it was time to get myself to the Olympic Park! This wasn’t the first time I’d been into the Olympic Park, having run in the National Lottery Olympic Park Run earlier in the year – it was amazing to see how much the park had changed since then!

The opening ceremony was outstanding and really set the scene for the days ahead and my 1^st Games Maker shift the next day. Although I’d sat at home watching the Olympic Opening Ceremony and thought I’d prepared myself for the watching the ceremony, emotions still ran ran high as the countdown began and the realisation set in that I was actually at the Paralympic Games, something I’d only dared to dream about previously!

The morning after the opening ceremony, I woke to an amazing view from my hotel room across London, making me even more excited for the day ahead!

Upon arrival at the Olympic Park I simply couldn’t believe I was actually going to be part of the games, it was a total goose pimple moment.

My role for the Games was as a Mascot Team member within the Spectator Experience Team. Even though I’d attended all the training sessions prior to the games, I don’t quite think I understood what my role entailed! As a member of the spectator experience team I was involved in a variety of areas within the team. One role I was given was as a mascot chaperoning, this involved attending the mascot appearances around the park, ensuring Mandeville was not attacked by young children or even the older children. Another role was taking part in the Mascot Buggy. The serious side of this role was to ensure that no one was injured whilst the buggy drove around the park, but in reality this was one of the most enjoyable roles on the park as it involved singing and dancing to the mascot song ‘On a rainbow’.

When I wasn’t singing and dancing or chaperoning Mandeville, the other side of my role was to chaperone various talents around the park. These talents were brought onto the park to entertain the spectators and try to minimise queues around the park. The acts which I chaperoned around the park included comedy acts, dance troops, musicians, professional yoyo players and carnival group!

Being a Games Maker was more than just the role we were there to carry out and by no means was all work and no play! Even though my shifts finished at 9pm, many nights I found myself still on the park in my uniform at midnight! As a Games Maker we were given various opportunities, these included a pass to go up the Orbit to see the views across the park and London at night, and attend some events. I was delighted to be given a ticket to the final athletics event in the stadium to witness Oscar Pistorius win his gold medal!

Alongside the Spectator Experience team, Coca Cola also ran their own entertainment around the park. I spent 1 day chaperoning coca cola, and got myself involved in a marching umbrella troop with them. One of the most outstanding talents on the park was the No Limits Street Band, who were playing whilst the giant conga line went around the spotty bridge on the park which was reported by the BBC – this was a total unforgettable experience!

During the Games I had 2 days off where I decided to explore the park as a spectator, visiting the various sponsors sited around the park. Coca Cola had installed a beat box where you could create music with samples taken from various Paralympic sports, Samsung showed off their technology allowing you to send a photo of yourself home as a postcard and create personalised t-shirts! BP on the other hand allowed you to register for them to offset your carbon footprint for your travel to the games. This was something I was particularly interested in due to study for a  PhD in renewable energy and sustainability. Being a civil engineering graduate I was also interested in the construction of the park. Having read so much about the sustainability targets for the park and following the construction I was interested to see more of the park.

My Games Maker adventure finished the day before the closing ceremony. I was lucky enough to have a ticket for the closing ceremony, which was the perfect way to end the experience. Like the opening ceremony, emotions ran high during the event, as I thought back through just have much of an amazing experience I’d had and the people I’d met whilst at the Games. I felt I could very much relate to the line in Coldplay’s song “every tear drop is a waterfall” as the tears set in and the realisation it was all over properly set in.

Thank you to
@MichaelWeadock  for the photo!

On Monday 10^th September I checked out of my hotel, left my luggage at Kings Cross and donned my Games Maker uniform for the final time to go to the athlete’s parade through London. I got up bright and early to secure a good spot on the route. I found a sport in Trafalgar Square alongside some fellow Games Makers positioned behind the press area. Even though I was there early, the time flew over waiting for the parade to begin as we all share stories of our Games Maker experiences. The parade itself was the perfect ending to my time in London, the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of Team GB and the experience of a truly unforgettable experience of London 2012.

My thanks must go to the Community Foundation for the Play your Part bursary I was awarded, as without this, my experience would not have been so memorable. The bursary allowed me to enjoy my Games Maker experience without totally depending on my student savings which would only have allowed me to stay on the outskirts of London for the minimum duration possible, meaning longer commutes and being out of the buzz of London 2012.

I cannot thank the Community Foundation enough for helping make my Games Maker experience event more magical and memorable. I can certainly say this was a truly unforgettable experience!!