WITH last night’s closing ceremony for the Paralympics and today’s parade through the streets of London – which is set to be Britain’s biggest ever sports celebration – this incredible sporting summer will draw to a close.

Andy Murray can put the seal on a remarkable couple of months by winning the US Open this evening. But, whatever happens at Flushing Meadows, nothing will take the shine off this sensational summer.

Of course, as the nights draw in and the temperatures plummet, our memories will dim. But we hope the incredible public enthusiasm the summer highs have created will not.

The Games touched a chord in the national conscience. Our eyes have been open to the fact that Britain is still a great place to live and has a lot to be proud of.

The opening ceremony ticked some of them off – the NHS, the suffragettes, popular culture and the internet – and the Games gave us new heroes, refreshingly free of the pointless posturing of pampered millionaire footballers.

The Games also showed that, G4S aside, Britain can still deliver on the international stage.

Even the security shambles showed this country at its best. When the Armed Forces stepped in they were warmly greeted. We should be thankful we live in a country where the sight of soldiers on the street is not a sign of oppression.

If we can hang on to this “feel-good factor”, there is every reason to believe the Olympic legacy can be a golden one.