For myself and fellow Sky Sports Living for Sport Athlete Mentor, wheelchair fencer Gemma Collis, our amazing Winter Paralympic experience began back in July 2013.

Gemma was asked to attend a meeting at Buckinghamshire County Council to discuss the future of the Heritage Flame at Stoke Mandeville Stadium. Being from the next village, the stadium is close to Gemma's heart, not least because it marked the beginning of her own sporting journey. Following Gemma's speech, the Council voted unanimously that Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the birthplace of the Paralympic movement, should become the starting point for every Paralympic Flame ahead of both Winter and Summer Games.

Fast forward to a chilly March evening in 2014 and we witnessed these plans in action – a huge Armillary Sphere, driven by British Paralympic champion Hannah Cockroft, igniting the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Heritage Flame. The torch was lit and on its way to Russia – and the good news was, so were we!

Both Gemma and I followed the Flame out to Sochi a couple of days later as ambassadors for Buckinghamshire and Stoke Mandeville. Our first port of call was the Flame Unification Ceremony where all nine Paralympic Flames, including Stoke Mandeville's, were joined to create the final Flame which would be carried into the Opening Ceremony.

The first real job came the following day with Gemma carrying the Torch on a leg through Sochi town centre. Having previously carried the Olympic Torch at Stoke Mandeville as part of the London 2012 Torch Relay, Gemma had some appreciation of what to expect, but on this occasion, she was anxious. While Gemma had her family and friends supporting her in 2012, the type of reception she would receive in Sochi was totally unknown.

Gemma Collis (right) was anxious about carrying the Torch despite having experience of being in the Olympic Torch Relay ahead of London 2012 ©Sky Sports Living for Sport



It's fair to say the experience surpassed all expectations. A volunteer greeted Gemma on arrival and whisked her away to change into her Torchbearer's uniform. Although the uniform had been designed with a Winter Games in mind, Sochi on that particular day had the sun beating down!

Though baking hot, Gemma's face lit up when the Flame arrived; and as she turned the first corner she was met by a wave of noise. Large swathes of people waving flags crowded the streets and children waved frantically as she passed. For a country that had famously not staged the Paralympics alongside the Olympics in Moscow in 1980, it was clear that hosting Sochi 2014 had sparked significant change.

We awaited the Opening Ceremony with anticipation; as Paralympic athletes ourselves our view of any Opening Ceremony is clouded by the majority of the evening being spent in a queue. Quite a long one too if you happen to be the host nation! This was a great opportunity for us to see a ceremony live, in its entirety – it certainly did not disappoint. The ceremony had everything you would expect from a country as steeped in history and tradition as Russia... and had most of the 40,000-strong audience wanting to Cossack dance on tables by the end!

Almost everyone in the Fisht Olympic Stadium wanted to get up and dance by the time the Paralympic Opening Ceremony had ended ©AFP/Getty Images



Following the Torch Relay and the Opening Ceremony, which was closed with a dazzling firework display, Gemma and I had two days free to take in as much sporting action as possible. Our initial plan was to head straight up the mountain; but sadly we found ourselves at the mercy of the only downside to the games - a lacklustre Russian transport system.

We were lucky enough to meet a Russian volunteer, who was passionate about the Games. When asked by Gemma if she had also worked during the Olympic Games, the volunteer replied, "I was only interested in volunteering at the Paralympics to help change Russian perspectives on disability." Her outlook certainly gave us some food for thought.

Following two days of snow and ice, Gemma and I headed to Moscow where we linked up with the UK Foreign Office. It was here that we were able put our skills and experience as Athlete Mentors for the Youth Sport Trust and Sky Sports Living for Sport to work.

In Moscow, we were given the opportunity to spend a day with a Russian disability charity visiting local schools to speak to pupils and share ideas and experiences gained from our work with school sports initiatives.

It was great to see the pupils in Moscow engaging with us ©Sky Sports Living for Sport



With neither Gemma nor I having learnt very much Russian, we approached our school visit with a sense of nerves and curiosity. Although we spoke to students through an interpreter, we were also excited to challenge our own communication skills. People skills is one of the British Athletes' Commission's "Six Keys to Success", something which we use as a focus during our school visits in the UK, encouraging pupils to harness their skills to achieve their potential.

Any fears we had had prior to the visit were soon put to rest as it became clear that we had a rapt audience. The pupils were keen to engage with us, asking many questions ranging from what we'd learnt through sport to whether Gemma and I were married!

After learning about similar school sport initiatives being run in Russian schools and having challenged ourselves by working in a very different setting, Gemma and I are both now back on UK soil. We are looking forward to incorporating everything we learnt during our time in Sochi into our work with Sky Sports Living for Sport and the Youth Sport Trust, and we can't wait to share our experiences with pupils!

What a trip and what an adventure!

Craig McCann is a member of Paralympics GB, competing in the wheelchair fencing at London 2012. He is now pursuing a new challenge within the world of endurance sport, training to represent Great Britain at future games in Paratriathlon, as well as inspiring the next generation as an Athlete Mentor for Sky Sports Living for Sport. An initiative delivered in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, Sky Sports Living for Sport uses sport stars and sport skills to improve the lives of thousands of young people in secondary schools across the UK. To find out more, click here.