I’ve just come back from a holiday in Prague with my boyfriend and still have a little down time before I go back to my fulltime training. One of the events in my diary is the British Olympic Ball this Friday.

I’m very excited to be going as the Ball is a critical fundraising event for the British Olympic Association in support of Britain’s current and future Olympic athletes.

I want to be able to give back after the fantastic experience I had as part of Team GB at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. My boyfriend will be joining me - we are just hoping that my brother’s tux will fit him…

The 1,000 or so people attending the British Olympic Ball are directly contributing to Team GB’s future success so it will be awesome to be a part of that. It will be my first Olympic Ball and I will enjoy rubbing shoulders with the likes of Sir Steve Redgrave, Jessica Ennis, Zara Phillips and golfer Nick Faldo. Zara and I were part of a sailing team racing for charity around the Isle of Wright last summer. Another first for me; good fun but I will have to discover seasickness tablets before I sail again!

The British Olympic Association is privately funded, so they receive no funding from the Lottery or Government. This basically means that their success is entirely dependent upon the income they receive from fundraising and events such as the British Olympic Ball, presented by BT.

This year over 60 Olympians, together with the Sugababes, Jamie Cullum and Mark Ronson, will be helping make the event a success. There will be a red carpet and you can come along and get pics and autographs of all the celebs and VIPs in a dedicated area. So if you are interested come to the Grosvenor House Hotel at 6pm on Friday (September 24).

I said it when I helped launch the London 2012 Games Makers - the programme which recruits volunteers for the Games - but it is worth repeating: the Olympics coming to London presents the opportunity of a lifetime and Olympic success for Team GB will unite the nation in excitement, pride and celebration.

I experienced this firsthand in Canada. Fundraising events such as the British Olympic Ball are crucial to delivering the hopes and dreams of Team GB’s athletes and ensuring we make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And it is partners like BT who help make this happen.

Amy Williams is the Olympic bob skeleton gold medallist