Last updated at 20:47, Thursday, 09 August 2012

We were there! West Cumbria’s Olympic Games volunteers have been speaking about a week of high drama as they rubbed shoulders with some of the world’s greatest athletes.

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Jan Lishman, 60, of High Brigham, near Cockermouth, was at the heart of the action in London’s Olympic Stadium as a clerk for track and field events.

She was there last Saturday as Team GB won three gold medals – Jessica Ennis in the heptathlon, Mo Farah in the 10,000m and Greg Rutherford in the long jump – and said it was the highlight of the games for her so far.

Jan, a modern foreign languages teacher at St Joseph’s School in Workington, said: “It has been absolutely incredible and I can’t put it into words how it has been. It is just a dream come true.

“The wall of sound sends shivers up your spine, and when Jessica won her medal on Saturday night people inside the Aquatics Centre said they could hear the noise.

“The atmosphere has been superb and better than I expected.”

Jan’s role has involved making sure that the right equipment is in place for events which have included the men’s and women’s hurdles and the women’s hammer events.

She said that standing next to athletes such as British hurdler Dai Greene and Czech decathlete Roman Sebrle had given her a huge buzz.

Jan will be staying on in London to take on the same role for the forthcoming Paralympic Games.

Lucy Hoban, 20, of Banklands Court, Workington, a student at York University, has meanwhile been involved as an Olympic games maker setting up podiums for victory ceremonies at the weightlifting and fencing events.

She met British pole vaulter Holly Bleasdale and silver medal swimmer Michael Jamieson at the Olympic Park.

She said: “I got photos and autographs with Holly and Michael when they having a drink.

“There has been a great atmosphere and it has been nice to have so many people from different backgrounds and places all together.”

Abbey Jamieson-Brown, 21, of Casson Road, Workington, a full-time mum, was selected to capture the defining moments of the games as part of an Olympic photography project.

Although she has not been inside the park, she has been stationed close by taking pictures of people and workers to catch the atmosphere of the games.

She said: “It has been an amazing experience. I managed to meet Nelson Mandela’s grandson Kweku and also got my picture taken with the Serbian handball team.”

Malcolm Mavin, 50 of Ennerdale Close, Cockermouth, a food technology teacher at St Joseph’s School in Workington, was chosen to volunteer at St James’s Park in Newcastle where he was responsible for the arrival and departure of the Olympic football teams and dealing with requests from players and coaches.

He covered both the men and women’s preliminary games as well as two quarter final matches.

He said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to be part of the Olympics and the experience has been out of this world.

“We got to see things the public didn’t and being a part of it was like winning the Lottery. It was a wonderful experience and one I would go through again.”

First published at 19:19, Thursday, 09 August 2012
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk