I was chosen to be a team leader in Security at the City of
Manchester Stadium and
over the following months many courses were arranged then cancelled at the last
minute. Other courses took place at a moments notice. This was very unsettling
for the volunteers. However, the courses that did take place were very professional.
The day came to collect my uniform, there was no backing out now! I collected my full uniform, security pass, shoulder bag, water bottle, umbrella and of course the famous or was it infamous flat cap that immediately took up residence on the coat and hat stand in my hall where it still serves as a conversation piece.
At about the same time there was a story line in Coronation Street about Norris being a Games Volunteer. The uniform he wore was often described as a shell suit, (it wasn’t) and the amount of times myself and other volunteers were called Norris was ridiculous.
We had to wear our uniforms for real at the dress rehearsal,
just two days before the actual Opening Ceremony.
The Team Leaders for Event Services, had got on well together on previous courses
but during a final briefing, before the other volunteers arrived we suddenly
appeared to gel as a team and as friends. It was as if we’d known each
other for years. We came from varied backgrounds, school teachers, university
lecturers, managers in industry, a tax inspector, a squadron leader in the RAF,
students studying sport and event organisation, a nurse, an air hostess and
a senior steward supervisor with Lincoln City!
After the briefing and feeling apprehensive we all wished each other good luck before taking up our positions for the evening. The area of responsibility for myself and my team of volunteers was the West Stand.
The evening went like clockwork and all doubts had disappeared we were all on a ‘high,’ and feeling so proud to wear the uniform. That feeling of euphoria and being part of something very special never left us until the end of the Closing Ceremony.
I was honoured to be allocated the West Stand again at the actual Opening Ceremony as this was the stand where Her Majesty the Queen and all the Commonwealth Heads of State and VIPs sat.
Other days my team was on ticket-rip at the turnstiles, the atmosphere was so good, the public entering the stadium congratulated us for “doing a wonderful job” even the media from being totally sceptical had nothing but praise, suddenly the volunteers and Manchester could do no wrong, it was wonderful to be around the stadium and a great pleasure to meet so many people from so many different countries. I was overwhelmed by the gratitude shown by some New Zealand supporters when I tracked down some tickets for the Rugby 7s.
On one particular occasion a group of Fijian athletes and rugby players walked passed me singing so melodiously it sent a shiver down my spine, it was a warm evening and if you closed your eyes at that moment you could have been on some Polynesian Island complete with palm trees, sand and surf rather than in Manchester. It was truly a magical and surreal moment.
The council and the media credited the people of Manchester
for volunteering and making the games a success but many volunteers came from
Liverpool, North Lancashire, The Midlands and as far South as Surrey, many of
whom had to find and pay for their own accommodation though they like the rest
of the volunteers agree the experience was priceless!
