The document discusses how over 600 nurses, midwives, and health staff who performed in the NHS segment of the Olympic opening ceremony partied together after the event, recreating their routines and bonding over the three months they spent rehearsing together, with many saying it was an experience they would never forget and that had brought them lifelong friendships.

1. Monday 30 July 2012 evening standard
This Is For Everyone
For real stars, look no
further than the NHS.
Sophie Goodchild
talks to some of the
people whose work in
our hospitals drew the
night’s biggest cheers
The people
FORGET Paul McCartney, Daniel Craig
or even Her Majesty — the biggest
cheers of the opening ceremony night
Party on: some of the thousands of volunteers celebrate after their efforts went to the army of dancing nurses in
the NHS section of the show.
‘The bar’s dancefloor More than 600 nurses, midwives and
health staff and patients spent months
learning their steps — and how to
became our stage’
manoeuvre their giant beds — for
Danny Boyle’s tribute to the NHS.
The exuberant sequence, with chil-
dren jumping up and down on beds
and nurses jitterbugging around them,
The parties lives for the last three months.
There have been early morning
received rapturous applause from the
stadium and a Twitter storm of
rehearsals in Dagenham. Lifelong approval, although some foreign media
THE dancers who took part in the friendships have been made. I’m a had to explain the concept of the NHS
opening ceremony told today how professional performer and the to baffled readers not familiar with the
they partied all night after Danny difference between this and a idea of free healthcare.
Boyle’s extravaganza. professional gig is there has been The beds featured in the section will
Carry
Thousands of young volunteers no bitchiness. be sent to a Tunisian hospital, while
headed into Hackney and Dalston “I’m so proud of London. We all the hundreds of NHS staff — many from
for a series of wild late-night after- want to do it all over again.” London hospitals — are now returning
parties. At one in the Hysteria bar in Dominik Siedlecki, who played to their day jobs.
Kingsland Road, hundreds of one of the multiple David Bowies,
participants re-enacted their part said: “It was truly awesome. All of Jackie Serrano, 38, a staff nurse at
in the show, despite having us felt like part of the team and UCLH who lives in Tottenham Court Rd:
performed their sequences to the Danny Boyle is a cool chap. It felt “We were like celebrities afterwards.
world barely two hours earlier. like he was just one of us.” We went to St Paul’s for a party dressed
The volunteers made it to the Another actor, Grant Sterry, said a in our costumes and people were ask-
cocktail bar as the Olympic number of romances had begun. ing for photographs. I’ve always loved
cauldron was being lit as part of the “A few relationships have been the Olympics and it definitely made me
finale, and they watched the final formed but it’s mostly been very proud to be part of it.
moments of the extravaganza on a friendships. It’s been a very “There was a bit of drama during Cathy Veaton, 54, matron at UCLH, from All very
big screen. supportive environment. Danny rehearsals with sprains. I ended up Berkhamstead in Hertfordshire: glamorous: false
Dancer Juliette Gilford, 27, who Boyle is the most personable hitting my ankle on one of the beds. “The whole thing was brilliant to be eyelashes, bright
stayed out until 6am, said she had director I have worked with. We They were quite heavy. involved in. It was a one-off and the fact red lipstick and
made “friends for life” during the were all expecting him to be “The nurses all had code names. Mine they involved everyone in the commu- petticoats for the
intense three months of training. looking at us from a distance, but was ‘M25 nurse’ because we were posi- nity was great. There were people with nurses who
She said: “We were all screaming he was right there and he talked to tioned around the stadium. We had to learning difficulties, wheelchair users, starred in the
when we got our cue. The feeling everyone involved.” wear false eyelashes, bright red lipstick people of every creed and colour. I’ve NHS segment
will stay with me forever. It was just Philippa Tipper, 46, performed in and wore petticoats. It was all very been a nurse for over 30 years and this
a mad feeling. Everyone had been the industrial revolution segment. glamorous. We had make-up artists and was definitely a highlight.
working since April on it and finally She said: “We tried our best to do stylists come in to show us how to put “The beds were rigged up with
we could let off steam. some matchmaking. There were our hair up. electrics with lights on the duvets. They
“It was kind of emotional because lots of beautiful nurses and there “I enjoyed the rehearsals so much. were real hospital beds and they’re
it’s not something that any of us are was one guy we kept trying to set The commitment was incredible. There going to donate them to countries
ever going to do again. It’s going to them up with.” were people from Cambridge, Salford where patients will benefit.”
be hard to match that.” But one performer said the — some of the girls haven’t seen their
She was about to leave the Dalston secrecy surrounding the affair children for days because they work Student physiotherapist Sam Bourgein,
party when she heard “our song” — ended his relationship. full-time and the rest of the time 24, at the University of Brighton:
the Dizzee Rascal segment. “I ran Pete Davies, an IT consultant who they’ve been rehearsing.” “What I loved was that there were good
over and we all started doing the was part of a troupe of drummers
routine again. The dancefloor that performed inside the stadium,
became our stage.”
Klisman Murati, a 21-year-old
student from Twickenham who
organised the party, said: “I wanted
said: “We were all sworn to secrecy.
I had a girl break up with me pretty
much because I wouldn’t tell her
what was going to happen in the
Magical nannies more than just
everyone to have a chance to come
together one last time before they
ceremony.”
Jennie Hone, who teaches at a
The Poppinses walkway on the rim of the stadium,”
said Londoner Ms Elliott, 36. “It was
go their separate ways.” primary school in Greenwich and AN actress who flew through the the most beautiful view. You could
Asked whether he thought new played another of the Ziggy air as Mary Poppins told how she and look out over London and then of
romances had blossomed, he said: Stardusts, said: “I just wanted to be 31 fellow nannies were left dangling course you could see into the
“What do you expect of young guys involved in the Games in some way more than 130 feet above the ground stadium. The lights in there were
and girls? A few people did hook up and this was a great way to do that. before getting the all-clear. amazing.
but as to whether they went home It was truly awesome.” Professional aerial artist Clare Elliott “Suddenly they give you your cue in
together I don’t know.” Computer programmer Elmo was one of 32 Mary Poppinses who your ear,” she said. “They say, ‘And
The venue quickly became full to Avang, from Canada Water, said of swooped down from the roof of the you’re flying’ and suddenly you’re
capacity, and the shutters were one fellow performer: “He broke Olympic stadium on wires during the suspended over 80,000 people.
pulled down for a basement lock-in his left arm in an accident on the £27 million spectacular. Then you start to speed up. It was
at 2am — which lasted until 6am. Tube and he was so upset. He had Once on the ground, they were incredible and completely surreal.”
Many of the opening ceremony an operation scheduled for Friday cheered by the crowd as they The moment she finally loosened
volunteers were professional evening but then the hospital called vanquished Harry Potter’s nemesis the clip holding her in place and
performers who had taken time out him and said they were cancelling it Lord Voldemort and the Child began gliding above the crowd
to be part of the event. because of a lack of equipment, so Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. towards the ground will be an
Lewis Davis, from Whitechapel, he got to take part in the end.” “We were clipped in for a few abiding memory, she said. “When I
said: “It’s taken up so much of our Josh Loeb minutes and hanging above the go to bed and close my eyes that’s