A decade since London 2012 - this is what a unified country looked like

What a difference a decade makes.

Go back to July 2012 and Great Britain felt like it was on the crest of a wave. The mood of the nation was high, the sun was shining, it felt like a great place to be.

And pretty much all that had happened was a bit of sporting success. A man ran faster than anyone else, a woman was better at a collection of activities than her peers. Crazy what sport can do.

Of course, in reality, not everyone was caught up in the wave of positivity which captured so many hearts during those brilliant two-and-a-half weeks. I'm led to believe some people don't even like sport.

And, of course, in reality many problems troubling the nation, such as poverty, the north/south divide, crime etc hadn't simply disappeared.

However, it's testament to the power of sport (and the power of success in sport) that from the moment Danny Boyle's wonderful opening ceremony began - through to the end of the Paralympic Games (let's not forget how great they were in all of this) to many people those problems simply disappeared. Or were put on hold at least.

And the country felt united. United behind a common cause. United behind a small group of athletes striving to be the best in their chosen field.

Kim and David Powles as Games Makers at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Image: David Powles)

My own journey to the London 2012 Olympics began some three years earlier. My wife and I had spotted adverts asking for people to become Games Makers and give up their times volunteering to work at the event.

At the time we thought it would be a good way to see some of the event for free. We didn't know it would eventually go on to be one of the most special periods in our lives and something we are so proud to have been part of.

Once our application had been processed, we had to take part in an interview process and then face a long, long wait to see if we had been selected.

Eventually the confirmation emails came through. My wife had been chosen to volunteer in the basketball arena and I was to be based in the Olympic Stadium. At this stage that was pretty much all we knew.

As the months passed and the event neared we were summonsed to attend several Games Maker workshops, outlining more about our roles and responsibilities.

At work we ramped up the coverage and it all began to get more and more exciting.

To us anyway, because I still vividly remember that up to the last minute, to the general public there still seemed to be an air of cynicism about the whole thing.

People seemed to expect the event would flop and be one of those things we look back on with regret that more wasn't made of the fantastic opportunity. It's often the British way to think the worst and then be pleasantly surprised when it doesn't turn out the way.

Archive photo from August 4, 2012, of Jessica Ennis at the London 2012 Olympics (Image: PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Then Friday, July 27 changed everything. For that was the date of the opening ceremony.

This was also my first shift inside the stadium. I'd been delighted to find out my base for the two weeks was to be the photo pen which looks on to the finish line inside the stadium. The place where all the best pictures come from. The prime spot.

They'd even said we could work whatever shift we wanted, so my diary was cleared so I didn't miss a second of the track and field events unless I really had to.

During the day of that opening ceremony the Games Makers had been lucky enough to enjoy the dress rehearsals. It was clear from that point we were in for something special.

And, my word, how special it was. A three-hour extravaganza. A wonderful walk through British history. Funny and sad. Poignant and moving. Who can forget Boyle's masterstroke as The Queen appeared to skydive out of that plane?

The next morning it was clear something had changed. People seemed to have woken up to the fact this could be a truly amazing opportunity. Something for the country to revel in.

But that feeling of optimism would not have lasted had the athletes flopped. Fortunately they didn't and soon the front pages of newspapers and TV headlines were filled with pictures and videos of British athletes clutching their medals.

Sporting histories were made, new heroes crowned.

For my wife (by this time six months pregnant!) and I the two weeks flew by. We decided to stay in London for the duration and grab spare beds of friends wherever we could.

She had a great time shadowing giants (literally) of basketball and both of us seeing other events where we could as we'd also purchased tickets to at least half a dozen things.

London Olympics 2012. Day 15Lowestoft Boxer, Anthony Ogogo with his Olympic Bronze medal. (Image: ©archant2012)

I was fortunate enough to get a prime sight of all of the big moments inside the stadium, including Mo Farah's double gold, Jess Ennis' triumphs and so much more. It was hard work and surprisingly long hours - but so much fun.

It also felt so good to be a Games Maker. As the event went on they became symbols of the event themselves and after long days people would see our purple uniforms and buy us drinks. On one occasion a group cleared seats on a train just so we could sit down. That felt so good!

Fast-forward 10 years and that unified feeling of national joy feels like a distant memory. We've had the division of Brexit, the heartache and trauma of a pandemic, bitter divisions over the outgoing prime minister and his antics and now a growing cost of living crisis.

At times the country couldn't feel any less unified. At least we have the fantastic efforts of the England Lionesses to get behind.

Laura Trott was one of the velodrome stars of London 2012, winning two gold medals (Image: PA Wire)

When the Games were first announced there was lots of talk of lasting legacy and I do think we've seen some of that in the shape of growing numbers of people taking regular exercises and big increases in sports like running and cycling.

However, I wish there had been a bigger legacy than this. I wish we'd all remember how good a unified country feels - and try to find a way to get there again.