Various Photos From 2012

Just click on the thumbnail to get the photo full size. Close window when finished, Home Page is still open.

Various pictures from 2012. The first few are from the lighting of the Milton Keynes beacon in Campbell Park on the Queens Diamond Jubilee, 4th June.

When the Olympics were announced, they asked for volunteers or Gamesmakers. I applied and was accepted. I was given a role in the Accreditation Team, and I was assigned to Heathrow Airport. This meant that I was to accredit athletes, press, TV, officials and sponsors. I was based airside and mainly worked in Terminals 1 and 4. It was a different experience being airside but not a passenger. I was supposed to do 27 shifts (½ of which started at 5:30 am!), but as very few people were coming in after the Games started, I cancelled the final two. On 14th July, Jean Tomlin, Head of LOCOG HR visited the desk at Terminal 4 and spoke to all of us. I actually held an Olympic torch, which was at the airport, on 27th July, which was the day of the opening ceremony. When I watched the opening ceremony, I realised that I had accredited the Mexican standard bearer! On my shift on 30th July I accredited the Polish shot putter Tomasz Majewski who was the current Olympic champion, he went on to win gold at London 2012 too! I went into London on 31 July and saw the London bus by David Cerny outside the Czech House in Islington and on the same day Angie saw Tom Daley during her first shift at the Athletes Village. My final shift was on 4th August. I turned down the chance of free tickets to Eton Dorney for the last hour or so of the rowing finals. A big mistake, as Team GB won two golds and a silver! On the upside, I did see and hold the gold medal won by the Russian judo player Mansur Isaev and had a ride in an official BMW. After the Games it was announced that we had accredited 26208 people with probably another 30% of people we couldn't accredit.

The Royal Mail painted a postbox gold in the home town of each gold medallist. Greg Rutherford was born in Bletchley and lives in Woburn Sands, so two(!) postboxes were painted in Central Milton Keynes. I went into London one day to see it dressed up for the Olympics. I've never felt London feel so animated. Every other person seemed to be wearing either a London 2012 or Team GB shirt or pin. On 15th August the GamesMakers from Heathrow were allowed to visit the special Games Terminal, built for the departing athletes, before it's removal. There was a memory tree there, and some athletes had pinned their memories on it.

On 29th September, Milton Keynes Council organised a very late homecoming parade. Unfortunately Greg Rutherford couldn't make it, only one Olympian and two Paralympians were able to attend. To make matters worse, it was held at half time during a football match at the Stadium:MK and not on the roads. It was fun though.

The final set of photos are from a visit to London, that Angie and I made on 15th December. We went on the Emirates Air Line, which is a cable car across the Thames from near the O2 Arena to Victoria Docks. We then went to the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park. Among other things there, there was an ice sculpture exhibition, which was good, but overpriced. The photo's from this trip were taken on my mobile, so aren't of the best quality.