THE spectacular closing ceremony to the London 2012 Olympic Games saw North-east stars play a central role.
A worldwide audience was treated to a celebration of British music and a host of musical stars performed at the event, with North-east singers Annie Lennox and Emeli Sande wowing the crowds.
And Aberdeen’s Olympic heroine Katherine Grainger also played a role in the ceremony, presenting a selection of volunteers with flowers as a way of thanking them for their hard work.
The event, which saw the Olympic flame extinguished, officially closed the curtain on one of the most memorable sporting extravaganzas of recent times.
And as the show came to an end the skies above the Olympic Stadium were lit up by a glittering firework display as the arena’s packed stands joined in with a rousing rendition of The Who’s My Generation.
As International Olympic Committee boss Jacques Rogge declared the 2012 Olympics closed, he said: “These were happy and glorious Games.
“We will never forget the smiles, the kindness and the support of the wonderful volunteers, the much-needed heroes of these Games.
“You, the spectators and the public, provided the soundtrack for these Games. Your enthusiastic cheers energised the competitors and brought a festive spirit to every Olympic venue.
“You have shown the world the best of British hospitality.”
London 2012 chairman Lord Coe who described the 17-day event as “a wonderful Games in a wonderful city”, added: “We lit the flame and lit up the world.”
Many of the 10,000 sportsmen and women who competed in the Games were today leaving the Olympic Village and heading to London’s airports to return to their home nations.
As the world bade farewell to London, the host city gave the concert of a lifetime, marking the end of British sport’s most successful Olympic Games in more than a century, which saw a final medal tally of 64 – 29 golds, 16 silvers and 19 bronze.
Some of the biggest names in British pop past and present, including the Spice Girls, Take That, Queen and Madness, performed during a night of thrilling British eccentricity which culminated with a glimpse of the carnival that awaits in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.