Brownie Niamh opens the Olympic Stadium

With just days to go until the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games, Brownie Niamh tells us how she was part of an unforgettable event - the opening of the Olympic Stadium.

'On Saturday 5 May, I opened the Olympic Stadium. I was there with my family for the “2012 hours to go” entertainment evening and ceremony. I knew I had a 1 in 100 chance that I might open the Stadium but I didn’t think it would be me at all.

'At the end of the games, the Paralympian archer Danielle Brown shot an arrow into a spinning wheel with blue and pink sections and it landed on the pink, so they put up another target that had only girls' names on it. She shot another arrow and it landed on my name.
I couldn’t believe it! I imagined there must be another girl with the same name there.

'I was collected from the crowd with my mum and we had to run to the athletes' entrance, with lots of security people. I was nervous and a bit happy and excited. As we were running, people kept telling me what to do, like put on an Olympic jumper (which I got to keep) and about pressing the button.

'Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson gave me two tickets for the opening ceremony and Gabby Logan brought me onto the pitch. All the lights were turned off except for a spotlight on me and there was a lot of noise as people were clapping and cheering.

'Lord Coe and I pressed the button, and 2012 white balloons were let off into the sky. Afterwards lots of people were asking me questions and taking photos of me! I’m on lots and lots of websites now, even the International Olympic one. I was on London Tonight the next evening, and have been in lots of newspapers.

'I feel really lucky this happened to me - I will remember the evening forever.'

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