Sophie Bryant from Bramcote writes: It is now the last day of the Olympics and there is still a lot of hype and excitement.

I have been working as a waitress in a very prestigious hospitality suite, right next to the Olympic Stadium. The pavilion is only a temporary marquee, yet it is very impressive and contains 6 different restaurants all named after London landmarks. On arrival the customers have been given a canapé and champagne reception, it is a very delicate and difficult job holding those heavy trays! This is followed by a 3, sometimes 4 course dinner, and many drinks of wine and coffee. We are serving mainly wealthy corporate clients, the numbers in our restaurant vary daily from 100-500, but serving some celebrities such as Zara Philips, Mike Tindall and Fabio Capello has caused much excitement! 

The shifts are very long as sometimes we are serving lunch, dinner and tapas to different clients, and it can be very tiring standing up for many hours without a break. However there is an amazing atmosphere here – both within the restaurant as happy clients are wined and dined, and within the Olympic park as people of all ages and nationalities are making their way to and from different events. There are many crazy outfits, painted faces and flags of different countries represented, and it is such a great experience to be part of the Olympic excitement. As our pavilion is so close to the stadium we are often able to hear the crowd’s cheers and share in their joy as we watch the sporting events on the big screen.

The volunteers have played an excellent role in maintaining enthusiasm and fun within the park and it has been great working alongside them and serving the Olympics together. I also have a new respect for the British army who have been ever so happy and friendly checking us in every day at ridiculously early hours!

Being paid to work at the Olympics has been fantastic, and an experience I won’t forget.  After 2 weeks of constantly polishing cutlery, laying tables and plate waiting I am looking forward to a well deserved rest, but I will be back to work at the Paralympics and hopefully repeat the experience.