British Consul General Priya Guha helped kick start Olympic fever in the Bay Area on Friday July 27 at a ceremony to mark the start of the London 2012 Games in Redwood City.

She addressed a packed out crowd in Courthouse Square alongside Olympican Anne Cibbs, the Executive Director of the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee. An impressive procession of former local Olympians covering a range of ages and sports from swimming to wrestling were honored at the event, before the band, Red  White and Blues, took to the stage. Excitement was running high as the broadcast of the London Opening Ceremony began, shown on a large high definition screen. There were big cheers as Rowan Atkinson appeared during Chariots of Fire, gasps as the Olympic rings were forged from the industrial revolution, and for many the highlight was the arrival of the Queen, after “parachuting” from a helicopter accompanied by James Bond, aka Daniel Craig! It was really fantastic to experience such a celebration of British culture – from William Blake and J K Rowling to the Sex Pistols and Tim Berners-Lee – here in the US.