"Your role will be invisible. By that we mean we expect you to do your job so efficiently that people won't even notice you're there. The events will run like clockwork."
This was one of the first pieces of information we were given as Games Makers during training prior to the Olympics.
OK, it's hard to be invisible in a completely distinct purple and red tracksuit, but we understood what they meant - our roles, however unglamorous or difficult, will be out of the eye of spectators, athletes, and officials.
However, perhaps the only part of the Olympics the organisers didn't judge quite right was the reaction and impact the Games Makers were going to have over this summer of sport - it exceeded all expectations of how much the Games Makers would be noticed across the Olympic venues.
Who would have though they would receive a standing ovation at the closing ceremony? Who would have thought there would be a Royal Mail stamp recognising their service - thus putting them alongside the likes of Hoy, Ennis and Farah?
The service of the volunteers even brought Eddie Izzard to tears.
Now, I'm not interested in theorising about whether or not this is the Big Society in action (as I said to a journalist who asked me) - I like to think this sort of thing transcends petty political point scoring. I've been part of sports clubs throughout my life and I understand how vital volunteering is to any grassroots level sport.
No, it's not the Big Society in action (not least because I had my first interview prior to the 2008 election), but it shows how when people pull together for a common cause, they can achieve something magnificent.
Will we ever see anything like it again? Like the Olympics, probably not. But whilst one can dwell on the past, it's always better to care for the present to make a brighter future. The ground work has been done and it is up to normal people around the country to get stuck in. Volunteer anywhere - sports clubs, shops, community groups. It works.
However, you may have to accept that your role will be invisible.
This was one of the first pieces of information we were given as Games Makers during training prior to the Olympics.
OK, it's hard to be invisible in a completely distinct purple and red tracksuit, but we understood what they meant - our roles, however unglamorous or difficult, will be out of the eye of spectators, athletes, and officials.
However, perhaps the only part of the Olympics the organisers didn't judge quite right was the reaction and impact the Games Makers were going to have over this summer of sport - it exceeded all expectations of how much the Games Makers would be noticed across the Olympic venues.
Who would have though they would receive a standing ovation at the closing ceremony? Who would have thought there would be a Royal Mail stamp recognising their service - thus putting them alongside the likes of Hoy, Ennis and Farah?
The service of the volunteers even brought Eddie Izzard to tears.
Now, I'm not interested in theorising about whether or not this is the Big Society in action (as I said to a journalist who asked me) - I like to think this sort of thing transcends petty political point scoring. I've been part of sports clubs throughout my life and I understand how vital volunteering is to any grassroots level sport.
No, it's not the Big Society in action (not least because I had my first interview prior to the 2008 election), but it shows how when people pull together for a common cause, they can achieve something magnificent.
Will we ever see anything like it again? Like the Olympics, probably not. But whilst one can dwell on the past, it's always better to care for the present to make a brighter future. The ground work has been done and it is up to normal people around the country to get stuck in. Volunteer anywhere - sports clubs, shops, community groups. It works.
However, you may have to accept that your role will be invisible.
