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I was not to be disappointed. From the moment we stepped onto the official bus which was to take us to the site, it felt like we were on a journey to something special. Our tour guide from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) handed us some maps and plans which were to accompany his talk and we listened intently to his introduction. As we pulled away, a DVD came on, with Jacques Rogge saying those now infamous words which I remember been spoken as if it were yesterday, "will be awarded to the City of London". How good these words still sound, and how it set the scene for our first visit to Stratford.

As we entered the huge site, we all gasped as we tried to take in the sheer size of the Park that we were entering, and we tried to see as many landmarks that we envisaged were significant features as we could. As we passed each one, we were informed what sport would be played here, how many people were working on that particular development and how much earlier preparation had taken place to reach this stage.

As we passed the early structure of the Aquatics Venue, thoughts flashed through my mind of the now infamous Water Cube building from Beijing, and I was convinced that what had been developed so far, right here in front of me was not going to disappoint. I couldn't help but think would this be the area where Rebecca Adlington strikes more gold or where Tom Daley may dive himself into a medal position? It was impossible not to get excited by what we were seeing. We saw the foundations of the huge Velodrome where we hoped that our superior GB Cycling team would once more dominate, and the areas where Volleyball and BMX Cycling would take place. We then saw the area where the Olympic Village would be built and understood that this would be the first games that the athletes would be living right in the middle of the entire Olympic Park, and what a landmark development this would be. For me, this further underlined the theme of the London 2012 bid phase - that the athletes would play the most important part in the strategic planning of the Games.

We listened to how the project was having such a profound impact of the local community, in terms of employment and encouraging all ages to get involved and be a part of this once in a lifetime opportunity of having the greatest show on earth in their own back yard.

Our guide was definitely saving the best for last,as we could now see our first proper close up glimpse of the Olympic Stadium, which was spine tingling. Here we were just feet away from where the athletes would be entering this huge arena, and we were able to take in the scale and complexity of the construction,and envisage what the finished arena may look like in 2012. It made me appreciate the legacy that will be left to the local people and how so many people will benefit from the Games.

I was taken aback by the sheer size of the Park and how many developments were simultaneously progressing to completion. I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened to this huge area of previous waste land had our bid in Singapore been unsuccessful. How pleased I was that London had come through to win the bid to host the Games.

My lasting thought was the diversity of the local residents who accompanied us on our tour. Like me, they simply wanted to be there, and to see for themselves what was happening and for them, how they could become involved in the development of the project and to understand the legacy that will be left for them post 2012. I had not fully understood the magnitude of what this will mean to the local people of Stratford and beyond.

As we disembarked at Stratford Station, I couldn't help but envisage how different the site would be in 2012 and how exciting it will be to be involved in the greatest show on earth when it comes to our capital city.