Press Release: Warwickshire organisations given chance to benefit from 2012 volunteering bug

Interest in volunteering has received a boost following the opportunity for people to work as Games Maker volunteers at the London 2012 Games.A free workshop is being held in Stratford-upon-Avon to harness some of the appetite for volunteering in the region and ensure local organisations benefit from it.Volunteering England has teamed up with Voluntary Action Stratford-on-Avon District, and with the support of the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership for the 2012 Games (CW2012), will host a volunteering-orientated Legacy Workshop at the Welcombe Hills Golf Club in Stratford-upon-Avon on Thursday, March 10 between 5.30pm and 9.30pmJulia Phillips, chief executive of Voluntary Action Stratford-on-Avon District, said: “We are very excited about these opportunities for groups that support the arts, heritage, sport and culture.“The 2012 Games is a fantastic way for groups and local people to get involved in creating new opportunities and doing more in their community.”The workshop aims to provide organisations in the region with information and advice to support them develop Games-inspired volunteering roles, use the power of the Games to engage volunteers and provide an overview of what is happening in Warwickshire during the run-up to London 2012.Support will be given at the event and afterwards with help for advertising and recruiting volunteers as the workshop looks to assist organisations to increase the number and diversity of volunteers.Will Bastin, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership assistant for the 2012 Games, said: “Tens of thousands of volunteers will be needed to make London 2012 happen and that fact has helped to raise the awareness of the vital role volunteering can play both for major events and within local communities.“We hope this workshop can help to promote, and drive people towards, volunteering opportunities in the area and result in local organisations directly benefiting from the country hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.”To attend this workshop on behalf of an organisation seeking to develop volunteering opportunities or for more information call 01789 298115.ENDSMedia enquiries:Simon GilbertAdvent Communications2 Edison BuildingElectric WharfSandy LaneCoventry CV1 4JATel: 024 7663 3636http://www.advent-communications.co.uk