London's Paralympic venues

Created at LondonTown.com

With only one week left before the opening of the Paralympic Games, tonight will see the lighting of the 2012 Paralympic flames from the tops of the nation’s four highest peaks: London, Cardiff, Belfast and Edinburgh.

The four flames will be lit by disabled and able-bodied scouts and won’t be taken around the country but will instead be the centerpiece of Paralympic Flame Festivals.

According to Sebastian Coe, chair of the 2012 organising group Locog, the four flames staying at the four highest peaks in the UK will ensure that the spirit of each home nation is represented in the Paralympic Flame.

The official opening of the 11 day competition will be taking place on August 29, when the cauldron will be lit in the Olympic Park.

We made London 2012

Some London Ambassadors at the BT London Live in Hyde Park

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has recently thanked each and every Ambassador by email for the absolutely outstanding contribution that they have made during the Olympic Games.

Nearly 8,000 Ambassadors who were stationed in 43 different locations across London have delivered a warm welcome to millions of visitors from around the world during the Games.

All those people from different backgrounds decided to give hours of their time for free to support this massive sport event and make London proud while the world was watching.

BT London Live in Hyde Park was one of the most popular site as apart from allowing sport fans to celebrate the Games by viewing live events and by participating in a range of sports, it also gave visitors the chance to watch live concerts.

Isha Puri, 21, is a British-Indian Physics student who commuted every day from Essex to volunteer in Hyde Park.

“I wanted to help visitors as I have known what it's like being lost in a new place, frustrated and tired and in need of a friendly face who can point you in the right direction,” she said.
“This experience also added an unexpected extra element of fun in that we got to be a part of the live action, enjoy the bands and acts, watch the Olympics on big screen alongside the visitors and take part in the free activities too,” she added.

Another proud commuter is Teresa Man, 34, a British-Chinese research Chemist from Twickenham who truly loves sport and said:

“I wanted to be a London Ambassador as I love watching sport and taking part to the activities. I feel it is a powerful way to get people together and live a healthier lifestyle. I thought this would be an amazing challenge and experience, and it was, and more.
“On top of that I worked with an amazing, diverse group of people from different walks of life. I loved it and felt it was truly an unforgettable experience”.

Long is the list of professionals who dedicated hours of their time to be London Ambassadors (LA).

Jonathan Wright, 62, is a British Londoner planning consultant from West London who defined his experience ‘really rewarding’ and said:

“Because our shift time was early and the Live Site only opened at 11 am, we had the chance to go to locations just outside like Oxford Street and Hyde Park Corner, where we were able to help a lot of people.
“It was also great meeting other London Ambassadors of all different ages, nationalities and races. We all had a common pride in London and the aim of helping all visitors”.

LA team belongs to a much bigger group of 70,000 volunteers including the Games Makers, the members of the Armed Forces and the First aiders, just to mention a few. All of them have given their contribution to make the Games happen.

Only a week ago, after 16 days of excitement and delight, ten thousand athletes have headed home and the visitor’s crowds dispersed. Also, at the end of the closing ceremony the Olympic Games were handed over to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Games and the Olympic Flame was extinguished.

However, the British capital is now getting ready to host the Paralympic Games, starting on August 29th and the ever-smiling and ever-helpful LA team will still be located in London’s main spots.

Olympic Venues in London Diagram

London - The Olympic City, from LondonTown.com