Mike was selected as a Gamesmaker for the Olympics and Carol for the Paralympics. After a couple of years of form filling, interviews, training days, uniform collection and more we were ready to go. We had booked the truck into a temporary campsite on a golf course on Hackney Marshes five minutes bike ride from one of the gates into the Olympic Park and close enough to hear the roar of the crowd so were all set for the twelve days of shifts that Mike had working with the Press in the Copper Box Handball arena. But first things first. As Gamesmakers we had been lucky enough to receive tickets for the final rehearsal for the opening ceremony which took place two days before the real thing. It was great to get into the Park and have a look round….. 
We watched the pastoral scenes, including a sheep dog rounding up sheep, goats, chickens, horses and cows…….. 
While the sun set……… |
And Danny Boyle came on stage to ask everyone to save the surprise. He’s on the right, the guy in orange is relaying his words in sign language. We were told that we were about to see most of the show but not all of it so there would be some blanks and some surprises for us too when we saw the actual show on TV. By the time he had finished there was no way we would have told anyone anything about what we saw and over the two rehearsals 160,000 people kept quiet too. It was very pleasing to see that so little came out in the press other than interviews with spectators who said it was amazing but no, they weren’t going to say why. |
The changeover to the industrial scene was extraordinary. When the first chimney came up there was a gasp, then another and another. |
Forging the Olympic rings and then lifting them above the stadium…….. |
We saw Mike Oldfield, Kenneth Brannagh, Evelyn Glennie and the London Symphony Orchestra but without Mr Bean. Mr Bean and The Queen were the surprises that they saved for the actual night. And weren’t they great?! |
The NHS tribute was spectacular….. |
What a night. We were really, really lucky to have seen it and then to be able to enjoy it all again on television when the Games opened. The following evening we noticed three helicopters flying overhead, hovering for a while, circling and hovering again. The one nearest the camera was huge and white with a distinctive blue band underneath. All was revealed the next day when we saw it again only this time apparently delivering Her Majesty to the Games. |
The Olympic stadium is just the other side of the trees on the left and so hidden from view, except for when the fireworks started……. |
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