Olympic gold medal winning sprinter Marlon Devonish poses at the London Olympic Stadium – a year before the opening of the Games.

Over 1,200 events took place to kick off the year long countdown, including art, dance, film and sport. 

As part of the celebrations, a giant screen in London’s Trafalgar Square showed the animated film The Itch of the Golden Nit, which was made entirely by children. The film got a Guinness World Record for the most individual contributions to animated film, because more than 34,000 children submitted drawings or ideas to help make the film.

Other events included outdoor festivals, dance competitions and trampolining classes.

Let the countdown commence!