Despite the freezing temperatures, the icy weather did little to cool the buoyant mood of the 10,000 London 2012 Games Maker volunteers that descended on Wembley Arena this morning for their first orientation training event.

Also lost on the chirpy Games Makers was the fact that the doors opened at an unearthly 8:30am, which appeared to me to be an unnecessarily early start for an event held at the weekend and for which none of the 10,000 attending were being paid for.

But as I stepped out of Wembley Park tube station rather groggily (due to lack of sleep, rather than an overconsumption of alcohol the night before, I hasten to add), my cynical attitude slowly melted and all down to the sheer excitement of the Games Makers, whose comforting midst, I found myself in.

All I heard on my short walk from the tube station to Wembley was joking and laughter coming from the Games Makers. And rather than the usual pushing and shoving I associate with busy, early-morning London, I didn't encounter a single volunteer that didn't let me go first at every turn, or apologise profusely for slightly bumping into me.

The mood of the army of Games Makers wasn't dampened by the by the long queues in the sub-zero conditions and, for once, I felt slightly guilty about completely bypassing the crowds and walking straight through the media entrance without delay.


Once inside, it was impressive to see how quickly the huge venue filled up and how alive it was with the hum of chatter between complete strangers.

It was not long before London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe and chief executive Paul Deighton entered the arena – both appropriately dressed down in casual clothing, very much in keeping with the mood of the event.

"I'm confident everything here will go very well because, of course, the people we have here are the most dedicated and excited people about the Games," Deighton told me as he looked around the arena with a smile.

"I think the buzz we have here will carry on right up to the Games.

"But I think everyone here is also aware that this is one of the most important things that we will do in the lead up to London 2012.

"That is because as well as being friendly and welcoming, these Games Makers must actually have a clear knowledge of what they are doing and that they can actually help sort out problems.

"That is ultimately why they are here.

"I'm sure none of them just want to be standing around waving during the Games – rather they will want to be as helpful as they possibly can."


It was quite clear that the Games Makers themselves had the same attitude.

There are 70,000 Games Makers in total, and they range from 15 to 80-years-old (with an average age of 35) and an equal 50-50 split of male and female volunteers.

The chosen Games Makers came from a pool of nearly a quarter of a million people applicants, and it's clear that they want to represent London to the world as best as they can.

'I can't wait for Games," said 74-year-old retired newsagent Elizabeth Ragget from Brighton, who has been assigned a role based at the International Federation Office at the ExCeL where she will be involved in the Paralympic sport of boccia.

"It's a fantastic opportunity to show the rest of the world what Britain can do.

"I applied so I can do something worthwhile and be part of it all."

Samantha Kenyon, a 25-year-old from Manchester, echoed similar sentiments.

"It's going to be such a good experience," she said.

"I'll get to meet new friends and every step will get more and more exciting."

As Coe took to the stage to a rapturous ovation, he made it clear just how important the Games Makers would be to the success of London 2012.

"The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games simply wouldn't happen without you," he said.

"You are the people that will make this event a success and the people that will define the experience for the millions of visitors to the Games from around the world.

"I hope that this orientation training will make you even more excited about being part of the London 2012 team this summer."


The key aim of the orientation training events is to provide an introduction to the heritage and importance of the Games as well as an insight into what working at London 2012 will be like.

Six smaller regional orientation sessions will be held in March for Games Makers who have been offered roles at venues outside of London – in Weymouth, Portland, Cardiff, Coventry, Newcastle, Manchester and Glasgow.

By the time the Games start, the volunteers will have collectively undertaken 1.2 million hours of training.

It is, therefore, clear how much importance is being placed on the volunteers and how much Coe and his organising committee want them to be, not only a smiling and friendly face of the Games, but an informed and helpful one.

They have a big challenge ahead and clearly a lot rests on their 70,000 collective shoulders.

But if the first major training event is anything to go by, the early signs are very positive indeed.

Tom Degun is a reporter for insidethegames. You can follow him on Twitter by clicking here.