What a wonderful Olympics, it really does make you proud to be British! Like everyone, I watched lots of it on the television, but was also lucky enough to go to Greenwich Park for the equestrian eventing cross country day, and I have never known an atmosphere like it. The crowd supported the competitors from all countries, but cheered like crazy for the British team silver medallists every step of the way, before, during and after every obstacle. It must have felt like galloping into a madhouse, but it obviously lifted the spirits of the horses and riders, because they stormed round.
This enthusiasm was wonderful to be part of, but the experts now doubt how long this national feeling of British pride will last. Apparently, once the euphoria has worn off, the reality of austerity Britain will hit home and we may feel even worse than before because we are now missing the excitement of the last few weeks.
This seems like a defeatist attitude to me; does it really have to be like this?
The real question, I suppose, in practical terms, is what are we willing to do to make sure we sustain this patriotic feeling and support the long term future of our country? Well, the simple answer to me is that we need to be collectively backing British!
London 2012 was all about inspiring a generation and leaving a sporting legacy for the country.
Lottery funding can, and will create opportunities and it's fantastic to see so many people have been inspired to learn a new sport. But it is still expensive! If your children want to take up a sport, they will need the right kit, possibly club membership and coaching, to say nothing of the cost of transport to get them there and back. So when money is tight, it's difficult to afford to keep going with it.
The Ice business was founded on the principle of making it cheaper for people to back sustainable British business. Most of our current local partners are farm food retailers, but we would love to let people spend their points on local sports activities to help keep the Olympic flame alive. And that's not all, there are lots of other local businesses and projects that we don't yet know and would love to hear about.
So I ask you this: which British businesses are you proud to back and where would you like to see support to help sustain an economy we can all be proud of?