Assembling the team

September 2001
The content of the event had been agreed in principle during the late summer of 2001. Major Sir Michael Parker had devised the content and immediately started to source the 20,000 procession participants with Maureen Mele.

As soon as it looked as though the participant numbers were going to fall into place Alan Jacobi, MD of Unusual and Executive Producer for this event started to evaluate and budget the event.

With Alan were Malcolm Birkett, Production Designer ably assisted by Robert Taylor; David Mayo, Project Administrator and Brian Rose, Production Accountant. From the Unusual offices in Bugbrooke, Northamptonshire, they started to form the team to deliver the event. Three other individuals became an essential part of the planning process - Brian Blake and Tim Owen from Westminster City Council Special Events and Alan Yates from The Metropolitan Police.

The Unusual creative team was reunited. Dougie Squires directing the processions and stage activity; Sir David Willcocks, Barrie Hingley and Julian Bigg forming the music creative team; Durham Marenghi on lighting and projection and John Del Nero on sound. Martin Jangaard the unflappable video director and last but certainly not least was Wilf Scott and Pyrovision, the true pyrotechnics experts.

December 2001
Lindsay Barrowclough joined Unusual to look after the Health & Safety aspects of the event. This was to include an element of co-ordination with the Procession group leaders.

January 2002
Three production managers were engaged to attend to the finer detail of providing the infrastructure and production elements.
Chuck Crampton, Tony Wheeler and Claire Sampson are justifiably referred to as the cream of the production industry. They in turn brought in Irena Kuszta, Jonny Ward and Caroline Babington to assist them.

February 2002
Simon Garrett returned to the fold to get to grips with Stage Management issues. Six processions with 20,000 participants was going to be a significant undertaking. Sue Banner, the ace showcaller, Ziggy Chapman and Bryony Wells all got stuck in early - probably due to the terror factor having said yes to the job and subsequently realising what they were in for!

March 2002
Bruce Carter joined the technical team with a specific brief on transport co-ordination.

April 2002
Keeley Wills joined Unusual to help out on the contractor and production staff accreditation programme.

May 2002
On site on the 2nd. Contractors start to arrive. May 6th, Eat to The Beat start to provide their first class catering facility. Billy, Davey and the rest of the amazing site crew arrive. Over 50 Stage management appear half way through the month. Jane Kelly and Simon Miles join the production team to look after Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square.

By the end of the month, the technical team and contractors are well into the hundreds.