Two Stanmore hospital workers say taking part in Friday’s London 2012 Opening Ceremony is a moment they “will remember forever”.

Craig Binch and Richard Finley, staff at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) in Brockley Hill, performed in a tribute to the NHS in the ceremony in the Olympic Stadium in front of an estimated watching international audience of one billion people.

The duo, who took part in 15 weeks of rehearsals and 150 hours of training, were dancers in a segment where director Danny Boyle marked the formation of the NHS and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), with the letters being spelt out in lights.

Mr Binch, 32, who is a lead nurse at the hospital, said being part of the historic occasion was “such a fantastic opportunity and experience”.

He added: “Our part was nicknamed Swing Out Sisters – SOS. We rehearsed through wind, rain and bright sunshine – and the gruelling hours were definitely worth every second.

“The dance was a combination of Lindy Hop swing and contemporary dance, and we were both so proud to represent the RNOH, NHS, London and the UK.

“Behind the scenes the atmosphere was electric, the show was amazing but it was over far too quickly, if you blinked you would have missed us.

“I was dancing next to the bell on what was nicknamed the M25, Richard was on the main field of play – he was in letter ‘S’ in GOSH and ‘S’ in NHS.

“The after-parties finished off a wonderful, epic evening that we will remember forever.”

The ceremony celebrated the NHS by featuring a cast of more than 1,000 volunteers recruited from hospitals across the country for the performance in front of 80,000 inside the stadium, which included the Queen and Prime Minister David Cameron.

The three-and-a-half hour show was rehearsed more than 200 times, with each of the 7,500 volunteers spending on average 150 hours practising during the build-up.

Mr Finley, 25, who works as an admissions coordinator at the hospital, added: “We had the privilege of meeting Danny Boyle, who was a genuinely down-to-earth and nice person, along with hundreds of great people who will now be lifelong friends.”