The London 2012 Paralympic Games have been hailed as an outstanding success. Team GB exceeded its medal target and there have been many personal tales of courage and determination.

I had the huge honour of obtaining tickets for the Swimming heats, which where held on Wednesday 5th September in the electrifying Aquatics Centre inside the Olympic Park. Never one to shy away from a blog post, I thought I would give you all an insight into my day at the Paralympics!

Speaking as a disabled person, the Paralympics have done wonders in highlighting different disabilities and the potential of disabled people. As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, I was born with a birth defect called Spina Bifida. After numerous operations during early childhood and teens, at the age of 13 I had a below the knee amputation on my left leg. 

When I was told I had to have my leg amputated, especially being the age that I was, I thought it was the end of the world. I wouldn’t be able to do things that my peers where doing and having to adjust to wearing a prosthetic limb for the rest of my life. I soon realised after having the operation that it was the best decision I had ever made. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it and have the right attitude. The Paralympians are the perfect example for people around the world to see what ‘superhumans’ who have faced big challenges can achieve. 

An issue for a number of disabled people, especially in wheelchairs, is public transport. Whenever I get on the train where I live, around 90% of the time the ramp to get on and off is never there. It can be very frustrating and embarrassing if I am causing a backlog of passengers whilst trying to get assistance. 

With this in mind and considering the London Transport System at the best of times, never mind being the Paralympics, I was anxious of the journey to the Olympic Park. I could not have been more wrong! Thanks to my knowledgeable friend Lauren (who I went with) and the excellent organisation of both the train staff and Games Makers situated everywhere you turned, our journey from Watford to Stratford International was a smooth one! We had assistance on and off the train in a flash and light hearted banter was exchanged with commuters who you had never met before.

I arrived at the Olympic Park and even though it was 8:45am, I was overwhelmed by the atmosphere. I could see GB flags, bags, t shirts, headbands, scarfs and so on. The park screamed patriotism! Every single person was in the ‘Paralympic’ spirit and having the sunshine beaming down was the icing on the cake. Me and Lauren made our way over to the Aquatics Centre to take our seats for what would be an awe-inspiring three hours of swimming heats.

As we entered the Aquatics Centre I spotted a large number of ‘hot’ army men! Never one to miss a photo opportunity, I asked if it was ok if we had a group shot which resulted in the below picture. It’s a tough life being surrounded by all those beautiful men but somebody has to do it!

Words can’t describe how breathtaking, majestic, mind blowing and remarkable it was to watch the Paralympians in the water. Their disabilities can range from physical/visual/intellectual impairments such as amputations, paralysis or blindness. As they glided across the water with ease, you would never have guessed they had a disability.

The atmosphere was electric as the crowd got behind all the athletes. Even bigger roars where let out when Team GB swimmers where announced on the tannoy. Even though the races where heats, the air was zinging with anticipation. I found myself joining in with the crowd yelling at the top of my lungs (and being drowned out!). The noise was deafening and my ears were ringing! 

The highlight of the morning for me had to be the swimmer Hassani Ahamada Djae from the Comoros Islands. He swam the length of the pool and touched the wall first with none of his rivals in sight. The problem was he was the only one to have jumped into the water after doing an incredible false start. He was applauded all the way to the end and got an even bigger cheer when he clambered out of the pool, only to discover his first place was actually going to be a DSQ instead!

After an intense 3 hours where we saw 5 Paralympic Records, 1 World Record, a false start and a number of Team GB swimmers through to the finals in the evening, it was time to explore the delights of the Olympic Park on offer.

There was a great feeling of excitement engendered by the smiling faces of the Games Makers as me and Lauren made our way around the park. Wherever I go, I always purchase a souvenir as a memento of the occasion. I bought an official Paralympic programme which features all the key aspects of the Games: the athletes (from Paralympics GB and other nations), venues, people behind the scenes, history, facts and figures. A souvenir to be cherished!

Our tour around the park took 4 hours because there was so much to do and see! My head was on a swivel taking everything in! I captured all of this on my trusty camera and have included some of my highlights below. My favourite had to be holding the Paralympic Torch!

What the Paralympics have shown the world is that disability is here. However, apply technology, be it blades, wheelchairs, or hand bikes, for the disabled person there are no limits to what can be achieved. 

As I can’t use the gym facilities, I like to go swimming every so often to keep my fitness levels up. After witnessing the swimming at the Paralympics, I have been inspired to go more regularly and to research if there are any disabled swimming classes in my local area to take up the sport competitively.

Watch out Rio 2016!

To be able to say I have witnessed an Olympic games in my home country and in my life time, is a historic moment. 

Since London won the bid in 2005 to host the Olympics thanks to Lord Coe and the IOC, it has been seven years of planning, preparation, dedication and hard work to pull off one of the greatest Olympics there has ever been.

To whip up enthusiasm for the games, some 8,000 torchbearers, mostly unheralded and inspirational Britons, carried the flame on a 70-day, 8,000-mile journey from toe to tip of the British Isles. The Olympic Torch Relay shone a light on the whole of the UK - from dynamic urban areas to places of outstanding natural beauty. It enabled local communities to shine a light on the best their area has to offer.

Kicking off the Olympics on Friday 27th July, we had the Opening Ceremony which was organised by film director Danny Boyle. A quintessential British spectacular that was witty, wacky and wise. He turned the Olympic Stadium into a movie set. Boyle certainly had the eclectic cast list to help push his vision of Brand Britain; Sir Kenneth Branagh, JK Rowling, Bradley Wiggins and Rowan Atkinson to name but a few.

There were many highlights for me: going from pastoral England with maypole dancing and cricket on the village green, to the Industrial Revolution with smoke stacks and oppressed workers. The Queen and James Bond gave the Olympics a ‘Royal’ feel by using movie trickery to make it seem that she had parachuted into the stadium! Fighter jets streaming red, white and blue smoke roaring over the night sky, packed with a buzzing crowd of 60,000 people. Boyle turned the stadium into a throbbing juke box, with a nonstop rock and pop homage to cool Britannia that ensured the show never caught its breath. Actor Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean provided laughs, shown dreaming that he was appearing in ‘Chariots of Fire’.

The show’s lighter moments included puppets drawn from British children’s literature. Captain Hook from Peter Pan, Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmations and Lord Voldemort from JK Rowling’s Harry Potter, as well as Mary Poppins.

To top it all off, Olympic Ambassador David Beckham had his very own ‘James Bond moment’ by cruising along the Thames in a high powered speedboat carrying the Olympic Torch into the stadium.

I would definitely award Danny a ‘gold medal’ for his creative genius!

I’m sure a huge heartfelt thanks, admiration and recognition from the whole of the UK and beyond, will go to the people who have made these Olympic Games happen. To the volunteers, Armed Forces, the Police, Great British public, the organisers, the media and even the weather! 

One thing I have been impressed with during the Olympics, is the great British institute Royal Mail. For every Team GB Gold Medallist, a special stamp is being produced to commemorate their success. I have started my collection off already, only 26 more stamps to go!

Aside from producing stamps, Royal Mail is turning their back on tradition and painting red postboxes gold in the home town of every Olympic and Paralympic Team GB gold medallist. You can see where they are via the Gold Postboxes website. I was very fortunate to be passing through Chorley and got my photo with Tour de France and Olympic Gold Medal winner Bradley Wiggins’ postbox! I think it is a brilliant idea and hats off to the Royal Mail. They have had the nation talking and created a frenzy on all forms of social media where people have been uploading their pictures!

As well as my stamp collection, I have also been collecting the commemorative 50p Olympic Coins which the Royal Mint have produced. Showcasing all 29 of the Olympic and Paralympic sports, they are the perfect mementoes of the 2012 Games. After asking family and friends to be on the lookout in their loose change, I finally completed my collection! I even ordered the Collectors Album on the Royal Mint website to keep my coins in a safe place.

To finish off the Olympics, we had the biggest after show party with the Closing Ceremony! The feel of this seemed to be celebrating and showcasing the musical talent to have come out of Britain over the past 50 years. Artists such as Pet Shop Boys, Madness, Blur, Muse, The Who, Fat Boy Slim, Annie Lennox, The Kinks, George Michael, Kaiser Chiefs, Ed Sheeran, Jessie J, Tinie Tempah and Elbow sang throughout the ceremony.

We had theatre group Stomp swinging from scaffolds, turning London’s famous buildings into instruments creating a cacophony of noise! 

John Lennon’s face appeared on the big screen as a choir of 100 people from Liverpool, where Lennon was born, sang Imagine. The choir included members of the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir and Liverpool Signing choir. It was brilliant to see Liverpool representing at the Olympics!

The most worst kept secret in history turned out to be the biggest highlight of the Closing Ceremony. The girl band which sums up the 90s, The Spice Girls, arrived on stereotypical British Black Cabs and performed a medley of hits such as ‘Spice Up Your Life’ and ‘Wannabe’. I felt like I was reliving my youth and transported back to when I was 8 years old! 

Considering he is a British music icon, there was no surprise to see the late Freddie Mercury being brought back to life on the big screens warming up the crowds. This was before the legend that is Brian May ripped into one of his glorious guitar solos for the song ‘We Will Rock You’, helped along with vocals by Jessie J. This got the spectators off their seats with their arms in the air clapping along to the famous rhythm. 

The audience were treated to a taste of Britain’s comedy heritage when Monty Python star Eric Idle appeared onstage. The actor led the 80,000 strong crowd through a singalong rendition of ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’.

As the Olympic flame was extinguished, boy band Take That sang ‘Rule The World’ which was a very poignant song, considering London has ruled the world of sport for the past sixteen days. 

The British iconic band The Who closed the show with their famous hit ‘Talking About My Generation’ which was aptly appropriate talking about this generation’s Olympic athletes and what the future will hold for up and coming athletes!  

One of the key messages with bringing the Olympics to London was to ‘inspire the next generation’ of Olympiads, reaching out to young people who might not necessarily get involved in sport. Thanks to the likes of Jess Ennis, Mo Farrah, Tom Daley, Laura Trott and local Crosby gymnast Dan Purvis, this is definitely a good start.

The tricky part is sustaining the interest once the Olympics has finished. By engaging young people in something they feel passionate about, not only will improve fitness and health, but can also improve people’s behaviour and attitudes. Sport can be a powerful tool to help tackle youth crime and anti-social behaviour. If used well, it has the potential to change lives - leaving a legacy that will last far beyond 2012.

A lot of people will have had a number of doubts before the Games began. Would we even be able to afford it during this recession? Would we be able to cope with the demands on our public transport system? Also, questions will be asked over the ticketing policy after a number of Olympic venues were shown to have empty seats. This meant people will have missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime seeing a moment of history. But after being glued to our TV screens over the past few weeks, all them doubts have been cast aside.

I have never felt more proud to be British. 29 Golds, 17 Silver and 19 Bronze. We finished third in the medal table after our most successful Olympics in 104 years.

Like David Cameron said, there is only two words to some up the Olympics. ‘Britain delivered’.

The end is not nigh, bring on the Paralympics!

It is official, on Wednesday 11th July 2012, I graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a BA (Hons) First Class in Business and Public Relations! I have had many proud achievements throughout my lifetime, but this has to be my most proudest!

The day itself went without a hitch. The weather was very kind to us considering the forecasts had been torrential downpours all week. The setting was the absolutely stunning Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, and I thought I would share below a few photos of the happy day full of memories I will remember forever!

I went from this little girl…

To a First Class Honours Graduate!

My amazing cake!

Mike and Keith, the best University lecturers you could ever have!

Proud mum and brother!

Business & PR Course Girls!

Sam, Nat and Sarah - friends for life!

Traditional ‘throwing the hats’ in the air!

Family meal at Gusto!

Celebrations continued into the night with my best pals!

After four years of blood, sweat and tears, university is all over and done with. I look forward to what the future may hold for me!

Just to let you all know, I graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a BA (Hons) First Class Degree in Business and Public Relations!

All the hard work FINALLY paid off! I am a mix of emotions at the moment but beyond delighted and thrilled!

Hello fellow Tumblr bloggers!

This short post is to apologise for my disappearance on here over the past couple of months.

As I am sure you are all aware, I have just graduated from Liverpool John Moores University studying Business and Public Relations. Final year has been spent living in the library day in day out writing up assignments and revising for my exams! I should have took a tent and a sleeping bag and set up camp from September to April! I find out my overall degree classification tomorrow so I am hoping fingers crossed all the hard work has paid off.

To celebrate finishing university, I have been here, there and everywhere! Travelling to visit uni friends, day trips out and going to gigs. Below shows a few of my highlights! 

I promise, I can now devote my undivided attention to my blog and update it on a regular basis!

Blackpool with Nat, Sam and Sarah!

Alton Towers!

Wales (Trearrdeur Bay & Anglesey)

BBQ with the Girls!

Soccer Aid 2012

Road trip to Newcastle!

Road trip to Sheffield!

Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto Tour!

I have decided to write a different blog post for the month of February! Recently there have been several Twitter hashtags and blog posts which are titled ‘30 Things About Me’ … so I thought I would give it a whirl, welcome you into my world and let us begin!

1. I was born with a birth defect called Spina Bifida. After being in and out of hospital most of my childhood/teenage life, I had a below the knee amputation on my left leg when I was 13 years old.

2. My nickname is ‘Nanna Gray’. This is because I act like a Nan and always look after the girls when we are on a night out!

3. I am only 4ft 10inches in height, but as the famous saying goes, good things come in small packages!

4. I have the best mum in the world called Eileen. She is my world, my rock and best friend. I wouldn’t be the person that I am today without her constant support and selflessness. 

5. Alex, Charlotte, Claire, Jess, Kathryn, Kayleigh, Laura and Susan are my best pals and I would do absolutely anything for them. They have been there through the good times and bad. I can never say thank you enough.

6. I was nominated to go to Florida by Alder Hey Children’s Hospital with a charity back in 2006. The week I was there completely changed my life, I come back a different person, for the better.

7. I adore listening to music and going to see live bands. I am at a gig at least once a month!

8. After renting out Father of the Bride on VHS when I was 7 years old, my whole wedding is based on the film. My first dance will be to the song ‘The way you look tonight’.

9. The Vicar of Dibley and Friends are my favourite TV programmes. I could probably quote every single episode from each show!

10. Not ashamed to admit that I am a bit of a computer geek. 

11. I am an Everton FC fanatic. I was fortunate enough to meet David Moyes whilst on one of my many hospital stays. This resulted in me being mascot for the Merseyside Derby on 19th April 2003! A day I will never forget (because we lost 2 - 1!)

12. I have OCD when it comes to planning trips. I need a Plan A, B, C, D and E! 

13. I am slightly in love with Zac Efron and I need to find the Liverpool version of him asap!

14. I could never fight my way out of a paper bag because I don’t do confrontation. I immediately cry, even if it isn’t my fault!

15. I am an old fashioned romantic. But too frightened to ever tell a boy that I like them incase I get hurt.

16. I passed my driving test when I was 18. It gave me a whole new lease of life and made me become independent.

17. My guilty pleasure is listening to the High School Musical Soundtracks!

18. I have the most random dreams that make absolutely no sense.

19. I have a huge phobia of any small insects with wings, or spiders!

20. Food is a major issue for me. I am known as ‘plain Jane’ and have no variety to my meals at all!

21. I once sat in the audience for filming of ‘Countdown’ and it was one of the most funniest days ever because me and my friend Kayleigh where the youngest their!

22. I have a memory box which includes every gig ticket, cinema ticket, aeroplane ticket, wristbands and autographs from celebrities I’ve met.

23. I am highly competitive, especially when it comes to pub quizzes!

24. I broke my right leg twice in the space of three months and now have a metal rod and screws which goes from my knee down to my ankle.

25. I organised a charity wheelchair race during my Year 10 Sports Day which I competed in against some of the teachers. We raised over £150 for Cancer Research.

26. Zante 09 was our first girls holiday and I doubt it could ever be topped!

27. I once won an iPad 2 on Friday 13th! 

28. I am known to talk quite a bit! In Year 2, I was awarded the Merit Badge for ‘trying to be quiet… I am still trying!

29. My dream is to hire a car and road trip Route 66.

30. And finally, I aspire to be the female version of Nick Hewer (Alan Sugar’s PR Executive). To be as knowledgeable and quirky, with a huge salary to boot!

This is a little insight into my character…. knowing me, knowing you… haha!

Well we are already one week into a brand new year, 2011 seems like a distant memory. I am looking forward to what the year ahead will bring, but I have to say, 2012 will be one of the most important years of my life. After roughly 18 years in education, I will graduate from Liverpool John Moores University in July and enter the big, wide world of full time employment (hopefully) aka become a grown up overnight…. scary!

I have been thinking about my future career a lot recently. You can’t predict what is to come, but you can put stepping stones in place along the way. My heart lies within the world of PR / Media / Communications and I hope one day to succeed in this field and become a powerful woman in the industry. Everyone has dreams! Juggling assignments, revision and dissertation hell, I have been applying for Graduate Schemes over the Christmas period. I feel this will allow me to take on a variety of challenges, plus pinpoint my strengths and develop areas I need to work on in order for growth and development in the future. Nine times out of ten, people who carry out a Graduate Scheme are offered a full time job within the organisation after the two years. Hopefully I will be one of the nine!

Hope you all fulfil your hopes and dreams for 2012. Happy New Year one and all!

First of all, I would like to apologise for the lack of updates over recent weeks. I have returned to university for my final year and I am already feeling the stress of assignment deadlines and dissertation hell! But fear not, I have finished for the festive season, so you shall all be receiving lots of updates from me over the next couple of weeks!

Normally I review any TV / Film shows I watch or any music gigs I go and see, but I thought I would go down a different avenue for this blog post. With it being Christmas, I will suggest some of my favourite Christmas films I love to watch with my family and friends, and you could post back what your favourite films are and why?! Very reluctantly, as there are so many to choose from, I will narrow down my choices to a top ten. Let’s see if we come up with the same films! :) 

10: Santa Clause

This is a classic Christmas film of mine with the legendary Tim Allen. I first remember watching this when I was seven years old, in front of the fire, making out my Christmas list with the Argos catalogue! Tim Allen stars as a divorcee dad who accidentally causes Santa Claus to fall to his death from his roof on Christmas Eve. When he and his young son, Charlie, finish the late, legendary St. Nick’s trip and deliveries, they go to the North Pole where he learns he must become the new Santa and convince those he loves that he is indeed Father Christmas.

9: The Muppet Christmas Carol

Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and the entire cast of the Muppet universe come together to re-tell the classic Charles Dickens tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, miser extraordinaire. He is held accountable for his dastardly ways during night-time visitations by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and future. 

8: Die Hard

Many would find this to be a surprising choice as guns, bombs and terrorists aren’t usually associated with Christmas, but there is an exception to every rule. Action-thriller Die Hard sets a festive scene. It’s the office Christmas party and there’s plenty of Christmas cheer, that is, until terrorist (Alan Rickman) spoils the fun.

7: The Grinch

This film is based on the book by the famous Dr. Seuss. Inside a snowflake exists the magical land of Whoville. In Whoville, live the Who’s, an almost mutated sort of munchkinlike people. All the Who’s love Christmas, yet just outside of their beloved Whoville lives the Grinch. The Grinch (played by the stupendous Jim Carey) is a nasty creature that hates Christmas, and plots to steal it away from the Whos which he equally loathes. Yet a small child, Cindy Lou Who, decides to try befriend the Grinch.

6: The Holiday

A classic festive film which is shown countless times on ITV2 every single Christmas! The story follows two women, played by Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, who find themselves at the end of failed relationships just before Christmas. They swap homes for the holiday season in the hope it will help them get over their troubles with men.

5: The Polar Express

This is the story of a young hero boy on Christmas Eve who boards a powerful magical train that’s headed to the North Pole. What unfolds is an an adventure which follows a doubting boy, who takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole; during this ride, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery which shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.

4: Miracle on 34th Street

John Hughes, the king of the coming-of-age teen comedy-drama, is also it seems the master of the Christmas film. Not only was he the brainchild behind the Home Alone films, he also wrote and produced this updated version of Miracle on 34th Street. This is a film that me and my mum watch every Christmas with a cup of tea and a tin of Celebrations! Six-year-old Susan has doubts about childhood’s most enduring miracle - Santa Claus. But after meeting a special department store Santa who’s convinced he’s the real thing, Susan is given the most precious gift of all - something to believe in.

3: Elf

In 2003 Will Ferrell stepped into the oversized shoes of his alter-ego Buddy the elf. An overzealous Buddy soon realises he’s not like the rest of Santa’s little helpers (his adult size, is a pretty big hint), and heads for New York to meet his father, spreading Christmas cheer in a world of cynics.

2: Love Actually

For the ‘Gray’ family household, it is not officially Christmas until ‘Love Actually’ is shown on our TV screens. It is the epitome of what Christmas is all about: school nativities, fumbles at the office party, romantic gestures for your loved ones. The characters are falling in love, falling out of love, some are with the right people, some are with the wrong people, some are looking to have an affair, some are in the period of mourning; a capsule summary of reality. This is a story about eight people who follow their hearts and show love or anger. If you look carefully around ‘Love Actually’ is all around you.

1: Home Alone 

Again, like Love Actually, to watch Home Alone at Christmas has been a ritual of mine ever since I can remember. It is fun movie with a heartwarming Christmas message about acceptance and the importance of family. For ninety minutes, you’re watching a sweet, fun-filled and often emotional Christmas comedy. If a crafty kid thwarting some burglars with elaborate traps sounds like your idea of a great Christmas, then Home Alone is the film for you. Me and my friends spend all day reeling quotes from this film!