London 2012 blog

Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of meeting just some of the 23 new Trailblazer volunteers at the London 2012 Organising Committee.

In 2012, there will be up to 70,000 people volunteering their services for the Games. But less well known are the office-based volunteers who give up their time in the years leading up to the Games. In Vancouver, there are already 500 people doing this work.

The 23 individuals that joined us yesterday are Trailblazers in the true sense of the word. This is a pilot scheme that allows us to make sure we are building a programme that will work on a bigger scale.

Over 300 people applied to be Trailblazers volunteers. They come from all sorts of backgrounds - yesterday I met a nanny, a sponsorship expert and a web designer. They will come to LOCOG one day a week where they will be allocated to help a particular department. In my team (Communications), among other things, they will be helping us answer the questions from the public.

Obviously it is amazing to talk to people who are inspired to give up their time to be part of London 2012. Aside from the practical help and support they offer, I am sure the energy, enthusiasm and unique perspectives they will bring to LOCOG will help us be an even better organisation.