We all heard, throughout the Olympic Games, about the cheerful, helpful, stewards encouraging visitors. At least one of them was from our parish………
Leaving home at 5am for the first shift at the ExCel Centre was not quite what I had in mind when I signed up to be a volunteer for the London 2012 Olympics 18 months ago, but by the time I reached Swiss Cottage station I was joined by several other ‘Games Makers’ and we automatically started up a conversation. The 5.17am Jubilee train pulled in and all we could see was a sea of red and purple uniforms. As the doors opened we were met by an excited wall of sound – a big party was going on and all we had to do was step on board.
The ExCel Arena was host to Boxing, Fencing, Judo, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Weight Lifting and Wrestling none of which were sports I knew much about but that didn’t seem to matter. I was ‘deployed’ to a different job and team everyday which ranged from meeting and greeting; ticket scanning or showing people to their seats. Without exception, the spectators I met were terrific and I must have taken hundreds of photos for people having a good time – how great is that!
The most rewarding experience for me was getting to know other volunteers from all over the UK and abroad and from all walks of life. Teachers, health workers, lawyers, bankers, students and of course retired people. Many had taken annual leave and quite a few were sleeping in tents on various commons around London and even sharing a tent with a complete stranger – just to be part of the experience. What impressed me most was the enormous enthusiasm and sheer wealth of talent our country has to offer and how willing people were to give up their time – especially as some of our shifts were over 10 hours long. It was an immensely rewarding experience and one that I will treasure.
My ‘Games Maker’ experience
Chris Money