Acting in the official capacity of Town Crier of London, it was my absolute pleasure to cry ‘Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!’ at the opening ceremony of the World Para Swimming Champions in London. It was such a prestigious event and I was humbled to be asked to do what I do best.

I acted as both Town Crier and Master of Ceremony, introducing the parade of the world’s flags and meetin’n’greetin’ contestants while also catching up with some old friends from the British Imperial Military Band.

It was the day after Gloucester Day and I got up with the larks to get the 5am coach to London for a day of rehearsals at the Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park, before being let loose on the real event the very next day. It was all very official, with several TV crews in attendance – I even had my very own runner! A Town Crier could get used to this celebrity lifestyle, don’t you know!

I’d like to say a huge thank you to all the techies – including my runner – and everybody that helped to make the World Para Swimming Champions opening ceremony go off without a hitch. As the strapline says, I hope all the contestants really do ‘experience the incredible’.