Paralymics open with a Big Bang

The London 2012 Paralympic Games began  with a big bang as science and spectacle combined in the opening ceremony.

Professor Stephen Hawking, one of the world's leading scientists, was the narrator for the evening on the theme of "enlightenment".

There was a slight hitch in the proceedings when the torch procession to the Olympic park was delayed due to bad weather (in typical British fashion - in fact umbrellas featured prominently in the ceremony) but the lighting of the cauldron went ahead as planned.

Athletes from 164 teams are taking part in the events.

Olympic Finale

Tower Bridge and the Olympic rings were illuminated on the night of the closing ceremony of the games, which saw 10,500 athletes competing in 302 medal events across 26 sports.

The London 2012 games generated an atmosphere of enormous positive energy and goodwill as nations came together to celebrate the peak of performance in sport. The closing ceremony was themed around 50 years of British music, and there was a carnival-style taste of what is to come at the next Olympic games in Rio 2016.