Name: Darren Towers

From: Farnborough

How long have you been collecting? 18 months

How many pins do you own? 70

This is less a collecting story and more about the power of the pin!

While volunteering as a Games Maker at the Riverbank Arena for the London 2012 Olympic hockey, I was looking after the team that managed mobility and access to the venue. During a hugely busy morning with hundreds of people dropping off pushchairs, one poor toddler was pretty devastated to be separated from his buggy. His poor parents looked distraught as he cried his eyes out so I whipped an EDF Mandeville pin badge off my bag and gave it to him.

He stopped crying immediately and his eyes widened in delight! The parents were much happier too - and I was pretty pleased as I'd helped design that particular pin badge to raise money for the British Paralympic Association (BPA).

Such is the awesome power of the pin!