London 2012 blog

I was one of LOCOG's volunteers for Sunday's Torch relay and will take away three personal memories the day:

The first was the outstanding enthusiasm and professionalism interspersed with several touches of often masochistic humour that I saw throughout from the hotel staff, the drivers, the LOCOG volunteers, the police and young people assisting in the relay organisation. Despite some challenges, I was (especially) proud to be working on this project yesterday with so many people who are all striving for the same objective.

The second was the down-to-earth warmth and good nature of the collection of celebrities, Olympians and other recognised relay runners. I am sure there were a few primadoonas out there, but I saw none of that yesterday and the likes of Tim Henman, Denise Van Outen and Sir Trevor MacDonald helped make several people’s day by endlessly taking part in photographs and signing autographs as well as helping to encourage those who were nervous or apprehensive about their run.

Especially, though, I will recall the excitement and enthusiasm of the other runners about running with the Olympic Torch. This collection of competition winners and those chosen for their bravery or achievements were all truly inspiring, but Brian Thomson from Glasgow will stand out for me. Brian fell off a balcony aged five and spent the next few weeks in a coma (his heart stopped twice), but he has since recovered well enough to take part in the last two Special Olympics winning three medals for judo.

He was in London yesterday with his whole family supporting him and they surprised him by revealing t-shirts with his photo and the message “Brian, our eternal flame” on the back. As they left the hotel to go out onto the streets to take part in and support the relay, I hoped he could treasure the unique moment properly.