Basingstoke woman in Olympic Opening Ceremony

Sue was chosen to be one of 1,000 drummers in the show, as part of the section on the industrial revolution.

The 41-year-old, from Chineham, auditioned last year, before discovering in January she had been successful and had a part.

Since then, she has travelled to London for 35 rehearsals to prepare for the big day. Sue, who works at her family’s business Foyles Newsagents, in London Street, and is also musical director for the Basingstoke Gangshow, described the moment she walked into the Olympic Stadium as “phenomenal.”

She added: “I can’t believe I did it and I was actually there.” Many of the elements of the final show were kept secret from those performing, and Sue said it was “overwhelming” watching the spectacle unfold from inside the stadium.

She added: “We had earpieces in with instructions to tell us what to do and I took out one of mine because I wanted to hear what was going on.”

Recalling the moment she stepped into the stadium, she said: “There were cameras in your face and we were told not to smile. I thought ‘I’m not actually here, this isn’t real’.

“It was a really strange feeling that at last we were here and there was someone telling me what to do, and you are trying to concentrate on that but still take in everything that’s going on around you.”

After the drumming finished, Sue was able to stay inside the stadium to help guide the athletes during the parade, and so saw the rest of the show. She said: “I started to well up when I saw the rings. When all the fireworks came down, I was crying my eyes out.”

During rehearsals Sue spotted numerous celebrities, and even chatted to Danny Boyle, who she described as “really down to earth.”

But she said she could not have taken part without support from her family, who allowed her time off work to rehearse.

They were able to watch her in a rehearsal a few days before the ceremony.

Now, Sue is rehearsing for the Closing Ceremony, in which she will act as a marshal.