Name: Mark Blissett

From: Coventry

How long have you been collecting? 4 years

How many pins do you own? 471

One Friday morning I was sat at home and happened to have a Friday off work - not very often I might add. I checked my email at approx 10.30am and I had an email from a guy called Richard at Lloyds bank in Westfield Stratford City, London, stating that on a first come first served basis they would be offering a limited edition set of pins limited to 250 sets.

I immediately booked a train online to London - I might add I live in Coventry. I managed to get a train within the hour to London and thought, great I will get to London in plenty of time before the bank shuts at 5pm.

I was sat on the train and about 2 miles in to my journey at Hemel Hempstead station I found out that the train had come to a standstill and I was sat there for over two hours. It turns out there had been a fatality on the tracks ahead, I thought I was never going to make it to London!

The Gods were on my side as I eventually made it into Euston at 4.10pm it was now a mad dash from Euston to Stratford but I made it with 10 minutes to spare, I was so happy and when I was given the pins in an envelope I was totally overjoyed! I didn't get home till 9.40pm that evening because I had an off-peak ticket but it was an adventure I will remember long after the Olympics and Paralympics.