Masterminded by British director Danny Boyle, who is famous for films such as Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire and 28 Days Later, the Olympic Opening Ceremony looks set to be a colourful celebration of English life.

Entitled Isles of Wonder after a line from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the ceremony will see the stadium transformed into a rural idyll that features grass, giant maypoles and flowers that represent each British nation. There will even be clouds that will produce rain if the English weather is not obliging!

The striking vista will be populated by morris dancers, families having picnics, villagers playing cricket and a menagerie of farm animals that includes 12 horses and 70 sheep. Music will be integral to the ceremony and there will be a pre-recorded score from Underworld as well as live music from famous faces.

Two mosh pits will also be created at either end of the arena, one themed around the Last Night of the Proms and one around Glastonbury Festival. These will be filled with ticket holders, although details of how to obtain tickets have not yet been announced.

A 23-tonne bell, which is the largest harmonically-tuned bell in the world and was cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, will be rung to open the ceremony.

It has been reported that the show will evolve to display more of Britain’s urban scenery but in any case, with a cast of 10,000 that has already done 157 rehearsals, it should be nothing short of spectacular.

What do you think of the plans so far?

London 2012 organisers have opened volunteer recruitment to the public today, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to become involved in the world’s biggest sporting event.

Applications for volunteers, who will be known as Games Makers, opened at 8am today and continue until midnight on 27 October – so there’s only six weeks to apply.

Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: “Volunteering with us will be challenging but the rewards are life-long as our London 2012 Games Makers will literally make history happen.

“We want the best team players in the UK to apply, people who show the same qualities as our athletes including dedication, focus and grace under pressure.

“Whatever your role, you will help welcome the world and show what the UK has to offer. If you have what it takes to be a London Games Maker, apply now!”

There are 70,000 volunteer roles to fill for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with two thirds of the roles generalist volunteer positions. These include welcome desk staff, ticket checkers, costume assistants, drivers and event stewards.

The remaining roles are specialist roles comprising volunteers skilled in medical, press operations and anti-doping sectors -applications are also still open for these roles.

For more information and to apply visit www.london2012.com/volunteering.

Find out why Eddie Izzard thinks becoming a Games Maker is an opportunity not to be missed below:

After five years’ planning, construction and frenzied anticipation, the London Olympic Games are now just two years away.

On 27 July 2012, competitors from more than 200 countries will step into London’s new Olympic Stadium to mark the beginning of the Olympic Games.

The impressive Olympic Park is now really taking shape, the world’s top athletes are stepping up their preparations for the Games, and Londoners are already seeing benefits of the Games.

If you want to find out more, check out the websites below:

• The BBC are live at the Olympic Park all day, follow the developments here

• Olympic partners are also stepping up their preparations. Check out this dramatic video from London 2012 partner Panasonic

• The last time London hosted the Olympic Games was in 1948, have a look at these fascinating images of competitors in action

We can’t wait for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to be on our doorstep, will you be coming to see the world’s best sportsmen and women compete in London?

Following the completion of the VeloPark roof and ongoing work on the Olympic Village, the Olympic Stadium is now looking mightily impressive with the latest developments.

The 45,000 square-metres of fabric, put in place by dedicated abseilers, will cover two-thirds of the 80,000 capacity stadium.

The stadium will become the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as many Olympic sporting events.

John Armitt, the chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), told Inside The Games: “The Olympic Stadium is the most visible symbol of the huge progress that has been made on the construction of the Olympic Park and the infrastructure which is transforming East London.”

Former Welsh rugby captain, Gareth Thomas – who recently announced that he was gay – was given the first badge Pride Pin Badge at the unveiling ceremony this week.

Thomas said: “It’s great to see LOCOG reaching out to all communities and making sure that London 2012 is a Games for everyone, in which every community feels included.

“I hope that everyone buys and wears their pin badge with pride and helps us achieve greater inclusion in sport.”

Paul Deighton, Chief Executive of LOCOG added:

“Our vision is as bold as it is simple – to use the power of the Games to inspire change. We want to reach out to all parts of the community and connect them with London 2012.”

The summer of 2012 is set to be one big celebration with WorldPride 2012 also taking place in the city.

Further badges celebrating different sections of the community will be launched within the next 12 months celebrating London’s diversity – a major part of the successful Olympic bid.

The pride pin badges will be on sale tomorrow at London Pride and also from the London 2012 online shop.

London 2012‘s Velodrome is on course to be the first completed stadium in the Olympic Park after its roof was guided into place this week.

The Pringle-shaped roof, made from more than 1,000 timber panels, has now been weather-proofed allowing work on the inside of the arena to gather pace.

The venue, which will host the cycling events at the London 2012 Games, is expected to be completed early next year.

Sebastian Coe, the London 2012 chairman, told the Press Association: “We hope that the Velodrome’s striking design will be host to some outstanding British cycling performances, as well as leaving a first rate sporting legacy after the Games.”

We think it looks great, what do you think?

Hosting the London 2012 Olympics will make almost two thirds of 16 to 24-year-olds feel proud to be “part of Britain” according to the Harris Interactive poll commissioned by the Metro.

Watching the world’s best athletes in London will help encourage young people to compete in sport according to 65% of those polled. While more than half believe London 2012 will leave a long-term legacy of sports facilities.

“This shows a real opportunity for bodies like Sport England to use the games to help build a legacy with more people taking part in sport,” said Harris Interactive research director Neil Russell.

Are you proud that our wonderful city is hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games? We certainly are.