I was absolutely delighted by the response to our call for people to apply. A quarter of a million people put themselves forward, from every walk of life, right across the UK.
Over the next year or so we'll be inviting 100,000 of them to a selection centre – either ExCeL or one of the other eight regional selection centres around the UK. 300 candidates will walk through the doors each day. They’ll have the chance to find out more about the Games and volunteering before a 30 minute interview conducted by volunteers recruited especially for the purpose. More than half the candidates will be chosen to be a Games Maker.
It's a major undertaking. But, as Seb Coe says, our volunteers will make the difference between a good Games and a great Games, so it's important to get the quality we need.
Having spoken to some of the first people to come through the doors of the selection centre I know they're as excited as I am about the opportunity to be part of the Games.
What's interesting is that 40% of people who applied have no volunteering experience. We're also determined to encourage everyone – whether or not they get past the interview stage – that there's plenty of opportunity to volunteer on a local level on a regular basis.
