AN ORPINGTON man is the oldest drummer of a thousand who took part in the Olympics opening ceremony.

As well as drumming, the octogenarian has done marshalling and performed vigorous dance routines in front of tens of thousands of spectators.

Peter Hawker, 83, has been drumming for over two years and is studying hard for his grade three.

He first took up drumming to give his brain a work-out because he was not interested in crosswords or sudoku.

He said: "I've always been rhythmically inclined.

My late wife always used to say, 'For goodness sake, stop tapping the table!'"

"My two sons put my Olympics debut down to my mild eccentricity."

Mr Hawker, of Oxenden Wood Road, is a keen cyclist and belongs to the Meridian Cycling Club, which is where he first performed in public with his drum kit. A lady approached him afterwards and suggested he consider performing at the Olympics ceremony.

Two interviews and many gruelling rehearsals later, he showed his skills in front of 80,000 spectators in the stadium and around 27 million viewers watching at home on Friday (27 July).

The retired architect described the experience on Friday evening as "once in a lifetime".

He said: "It's so exhilarating and the applause was tremendous.

"We have a great dancing instructor but I do find remembering some of the moves a bit difficult.

"As our drumming master said, 'it's the biggest gig you'll ever do'."

The ceremony cost director Danny Boyle £27 million to produce.

Mr Hawker described the guidance and training from the tutors as "top-notch".

The opportunity also gave him a chance to meet hundreds of people from different walks of life.

He said: "It's been very sociable and I had some lovely ladies next to me in the routines.

Mr Hawker is now looking forward to taking part in the closing ceremony as a marshal.