Words from leading figures and bit part players in the end of the century drama sum up the atmosphere of Millennium Eve celebrations:

"The completion of the Dome project has been such a nightmare for those involved. Maybe eyes were not on the right balls about the tickets at the right time." - Shadow culture secretary Peter Ainsworth on the last-minute Dome ticket fiasco.

"This truly remarkable structure and the Millennium Experience inside it have achieved world-wide recognition as symbols of the United Kingdom's creativity, inventiveness, and focus on the future." - Tony Blair, writing in the Millennium Dome programme.



"Lord, thank you for this beautiful world you have given us. Help us to care for it and keep it safe for those who will come after us." - The prayer of Joanne Metcalfe, 11, from Bradford, read at the opening of the Millennium Dome.

"It's taken all the excitement out of it. I've really been looking forward to this but now I'm just freezing cold and very annoyed." - Adam Flanders, 16, from Liverpool, queuing for tickets to the Millennium Dome at Stratford Railway Station, east London.



"If we want to know our country, we must hold a candle to our past. We should recognise the sacrifices of so many and the formation of the peaceful confident nation we have today." - Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, lighting a candle in Dublin.



"To people throughout the world we wish you peace, we wish you prosperity in the New Year." - Tony Blair, launching the Millennium Wheel on the banks of the River Thames, London.



"The Queen seemed to know my name and she knew I had broken my hip and said she hoped I got better. It has really made my day." - Mouse, a homeless man, after meeting the Queen at the Crisis Shelter, Southwark, south London.