As a kid, I was always fascinated by the Tower and what an achievement it was but seeing it every day and never getting in was frustrating. Finally however at the age of 29, I achieved a childhood dream and finally got inside -and boy was it worth it!
As the time came to go up I started chatting to a lovely couple called Avril and Bob - or as they call themselves, 'Bovril'. I found out they won a competition in the Telegraph to be there and had came all the way from Broadstairs for the evening.
We all crammed in to the lift and whizzed up to level 34 at 1,400 feet per minute. (I am not making that up, the lift has a speedometer.)
On arrival to what was the revolving restaurant in times gone by, the view simply took my breath away. Sure we have taller buildings but this is the BT Tower right in the middle of London - can't ask for a better view!
Of course, we had to take as many pics as possible.
Me:
Bob and Avril ('Bovril'!):
But we were there to celebrate, and BT made sure it was a celebration. The BT steel orchestra were there playing amongst other things, Abba and Bette Midler songs and there were plenty of people to chat to.
I ended up hanging out with 'Bovril' quite a lot - I am so glad we met. Meeting people like this makes you realise what good London 2012 can do. They were so proud to be there and proud of London knowing that we will pull off a spectacular Games. They have grandchildren registered to volunteer in 2012 and they even used a new high speed train we'll be using at Games time to get to London.
At 8.45pm, all the TVs in the room sprang to life to show the National Lottery. We knew what was coming.
At about 8.54pm, an almighty explosion above our heads and then fireworks rained down around us. That's what you call marking the occasion with a bang. And then, to top it off, the floor started to revolve...now THAT'S ending it in style!
We had seen Dame Kelly Holmes on the screen press the button and say, '1,000 days and counting', and we certainly are. It's 1000 days to the start of the Olympic Games but what London 2012 will achieve will be felt by millions for many, many more than 1,000 days.
I think one of the most important aspects of what we are going to do in the next two and three-quarter years is the legacy we leave behind for everyone, including 'Bovril', to enjoy. The four-year Cultural Olympiad is bringing arts and sports together in ways we have never seen. We're creating the biggest urban park to be constructed in Europe for 150 years. We're seeing the regeneration of a heavily industrialised but poor area. We're getting better transport links...I could go on and on but I think you understand what I mean.
1,000 days to go can be a lifetime to some, but for athletes and everyone working on London 2012, it's creeping up on us at an amazing speed. So many things to do and think about but one thing we can be sure of: we are going to change London forever in those 1,000 days.
As a Londoner and a proud worker of London 2012, I now have 1,000 days to help in my own small way achieve all of this and more. When the Closing Ceremony of the Paralympics takes place, we will know for sure these final days were a job well done for all.
