Middleton couple share magic of Olympic extravaganza

Julia and Matthew Copeland were among the cast members at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.

The husband and wife, of Rose Avenue, had roles in the scene which depicted the growth of the industrial revolution.

Julia, 49, was one of the workers and Matthew, 50, was a forger.

It proved to be an unforgettable experience for them which was watched by an estimated audience of a billion people around the world.

Julia said: “This has been an incredible experience. We are just normal people and opportunities like this don’t come along very often.

“So, we were thrilled to be involved. We were there and we were part of an historical event.”

The couple applied back in November 2011 having heard about it on the radio.

The rehearsals started in May at the former Ford factory in Dagenham. It wasn’t until June 23 that rehearsals took place in the Olympic Stadium.

“What an amazing place that is,” said Julia. “It is truly beautiful. I really hope that people of all ages make full use of the wonderful facilities in what was once a derelict, toxic site.

“I’m not known for my dancing skills and learning the moves was hard. But watching the show on TV it was amazing to see us all walking on the beat and doing the routine. The noise of the audience was incredible.

“On the week of the ceremony we had two dress rehearsals with an audience of 64,000 people and in costume, which was fun but filled with nerves.

“I think the butterflies in my tummy were multiplying by the minute but it all went surprisingly well.”

Julia, a caseworker for a home improvement agency, said the performers were only told their section of the routine and the immediate segments before and after.

“We had no idea about everything else which was going on,” she said. “It was quite inspiring to see how the director Danny Boyle put it all together.”

Julia and Matthew, and the other performers, left the arena as the athletes from around the world began to enter it. They were able to talk to some of them.

Others they had met included Lord Coe and diver Tom Daley.

“Most of my customers at work are older and have led varied and interesting lives. I feel that, having gone through this journey, I also have something interesting to talk about.”