Last weekend was the first anniversary of the 2012 London Olympics.

This time last year I was enjoying the buzz and excitement of living in London while the biggest sporting event in the world took place 20 minutes from my house in Stratford East London.

To celebrate the anniversary, the Olympic stadium held the Sainsbury Anniversary Games. A chance for everyone to reminisce about last year’s Games and to see some of the biggest stars in action again such as Usain Bolt, Mo Farah and Jess Ennis-Hill.

There’s been loads of stories in the media focusing on the first anniversary of the Games. I’ve read magazine interviews with athletes, looking back on their achievements and how their lives and careers have changed since last summer.

We’ve had published reports looking at the public’s feelings and response to the Games; and of course there’s been further talk on the Legacy the Olympics.

Did it benefit the country? Has it encouraged more people to participate in sport? Has it helped to regenerate Stratford and East London? Was it worth the money?

The first anniversary of the London games has reminded me that anniversaries provide a great source of content ideas for writers.

We’ve seen that just because the Olympics has finished, it doesn’t mean that the Olympic story has ended. It hasn’t – what’s happened is that a new chapter or chapters have emerged.

Writing about the anniversary of a major incident or event allows you to look back on what happened, and look at the meaning and impact of that event. But going forwards you’re also presented with a range of new storylines to focus on.

In the next 5 – 10 years, we’ll still be talking about the legacy of the Games, new stories will emerge on how people’s lives were changed by the Games, how it inspired them to take up sport and in some cases become professional athletes themselves.

On a personal level, it’s been a great experience to live in Stratford over the last 5 years and watch the area and Olympic Park develop.

Stratford feels like a different place, it’s somewhere I’m proud to say that it’s where I live in London. The Olympic Park is evolving and changing and a section of the Olympic Park is now open to the public.

Using the Olympics as an inspiration, there’s no reason why specific events which have happened to you as an individual or to your business can’t help to inspire you to tell a range of new stories.

Always remember to think about why your audience and readers would be interested or care about the anniversary you’re writing about, why should the stories you’re trying to tell matter.

In the case of the Olympics, for most of us it’s the only time we’re likely to experience the Olympics in our own country.

The cost and scale of the event was huge, and when it finally took place it was embraced by the country. The story doesn’t end there and people want to know what comes next. Think about what that could be for your anniversary stories.