PM thanks Mairead: click picture for story

Mr Cameron sent Mairead the letter at the end of a nearly two month stint in London as a Games Maker at both the Olympics and the Paralympics.

The PM told the 19-year-old former St Michael’s pupil: “I want to write to thank you personally for the part you played in making the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games such a huge success.

“To see tens of the thousands of people giving up their time to support London 2012 has been truly inspiring. As a Games Maker you have not just helped make London 2012 happen, but through the welcome and spirit you have shown, you have put a smile on the nation’s face.

You and your fellow volunteers have been an essential ingredient in the remarkable summer that millions of people across the country have shared and will remember for a lifetime.

You have sent an incredible message about the warmth, friendliness and can-do spirit of the United Kingdom right around the world. Quite simply, the Games couldn’t have happened without you.

“I have heard for myself that, for many, the Olympics and Paralympics have provided the inspiration to volunteer for the first time. But whether this has been a new experience for you, or you have volunteered before, I hope the wonderful memories you have taken away from the Games will encourage you to continue to make a difference. Thank you again, David Cameron.”

Indeed Mairead has been engulfed with thanks from Olympians and Paralympians.

The Allengrove girl wrote a post to a London 2012 group saying how amazing her experience was at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Afterward GB Handball Athlete Ciaran Williams saw her post and wrote her a Games Maker card saying: ‘Mairéad, thank you for making this Games so special’.

She said she was “absolutely chuffed to bits. This is being sent to me along with a photo and photos of the London 2012 parade. Chuffed to pieces!”

She cites one of the highlights of her experiences at the Games as meeting Sebastian Coe, a former Olympian and driving force behind the London 2012 Olympics. Mairead, who is currently studying Leisure and Events Management at the University of Ulster at Coleraine, said the best experiences of the Games were: “Definitely meeting new people, making friends for life. High-fiving spectators while they left the Olympic Park, and being told that I helped make the games happen!

“I have learned that volunteers really can achieve great things. The Games Makers from London have been the heroes of the games, Seb Coe and the rest of the athletes and general public have said how amazing we were.

It is an amazing feeling to be recognised for the hard work that is volunteering, and it has inspired me to become more involved in this type of work. I am already looking forward to Rio In 2016!”

Mairead wanted to thank everyone for their support especially family, friends and Paul Connan from McDonald’s Lurgan and Craigavon Borough Council for each sponsoring her £100.