An opportunity of a lifetime

I've always been interested in the Olympics and one of my lifelong ambitions is to attend one. In 1996, I wrote to the IOC asking for tickets for Atlanta 1996 - they sent me a pin badge commemorating the Olympic centenary. Having failed to make the grade to volunteer for Beijing 2008, I was hoping for better luck for London 2012 as I was born within walking distance of the Olympic Park. So I was rather pleased to discover that I was one of the chosen many aka Gamesmakers.

My role was to chauffeur clients around in one of these.

If G4S seriously underestimated how many security personnel would be needed (that actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the armed forces personnel who stepped in to fill the breech impressed everyone with their exemplary professionalism), then LOCOG/IOC seriously overestimated the demand for our service. After all, if you're doing a 10 hour shift, you don't want to have to spend the vast majority of it waiting around - the weekend before the Opening Ceremony, I made two trips from the airport to central London. One of the people I drove on the day of the Opening Ceremony seemed pretty confident that things would pick up from Saturday, but once again it was a case of supply exceeding demand and then some!

I drove ministers, IOC staff, NOC representatives, significant others of IOC and international sports federation officials and it was my great privilege to drive the person who conceived the idea of staging an Olympic games in London nineteen years ago - Kirani James who became Grenada's first Olympic champion when he won the 400m is 19.

The Wednesday before the Opening Ceremony, I was in the Olympic stadium to watch the final dress rehearsal before the main event - the forging of the Olympic rings was one of my standout moments.

It was nice to see the efforts of the Gamesmakers recognised at the Opening and Closing ceremonies and at the celebratory Olympic and Paralympic parade and I suppose when sufficient time has passed, that will probably be my abiding memory of London 2012.