Vale volunteers wanted for Guernsey's biggest ever sporting event

Organisers contacted the Vale Douzaine and asked for an appeal to be launched, noting the parish's strong sporting links and history of volunteering.

The 2012 Games are particularly significant because Guernsey will become the first island to host the prestigious even three times – the last being 2003.

Wayne Bulpitt, Volunteers Director for the Guernsey 2021 NatWest International Island Games, said 500 days might sound a long way off but the clock was ticking.

Recruiting "Games Makers" – 1,000 are needed – means volunteers have to be registered, interviewed, trained and assigned to a host of roles way ahead of the Games themselves. Some 500 people have come forward from core participating teams, effectively leaving 50 people per parish to come forward.

The deadline to do so is 30 September this year and the simple registration process can be found here.

 Why volunteer?
The Games will be the biggest sporting event Guernsey has ever hosted and potentially the largest multi-sport event in Europe during 2021. Initial invitations have been sent out to the 23 member islands and provisional numbers are around 3,500 athletes and team members.

Organisers are looking for people who have a strong sense of pride in the island who would like to give something back to the community. As well as the chance to work with other like-minded people, many will learn new skills as part of some of the specialist roles on offer. 

Self development
Everyone who volunteers will benefit from the general skills volunteering brings, as well as the experience of working in (or even leading) teams of individuals delivering a high-profile event. The training will have lasting benefits, including:

- Life skills, such as confidence building and communication skills
- Experience which can be used on a CV to assist in your career and finding employment
- A number of roles will include opportunities to gain specialist skills such as first aid training, traffic management, security training etc.
- General benefits that volunteering has in developing your own character and resilience.

All volunteers will be given Games branded kit to wear during Games week, a certificate confirming their participation and an invitation to a “thank you” event following the Games.

About the Games
Once every two years, thousands of athletes from across the globe — from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, the North Atlantic to the Caribbean — come together to compete in the NatWest International Island Games. The Games welcomes spectators at all events, giving host islanders an exciting opportunity to watch live international sport on their home turf.

For more information...

...please use the following links iiga.org  and guernsey2021.gg