As Volunteers Week gets under way (Wednesday 01 Tuesday 07 June), Gary Jakeman, General Manager of Shetland Island Games 2005 Ltd., organisers of The NatWest Island Games in Shetland in July, praised the support and commitment received from the huge numbers of volunteers from the Shetland community who have signed up to work on the event.
At least 900 volunteers have so far been recruited to work on this biennial international multi-sport event that will see 2,000 athletes from 24 island communities throughout the world competing in 15 sports in a unique week-long festival of sport between 9 and15 July 2005. 700 volunteers from the local community have offered their services and it is predicted that numbers will swell dramatically in the final run-up to the Games. The island volunteers will be joined for the Games week by 200 technical staff from mainland Britain and further afield.
Gary Jakeman, General Manager of Shetland Island Games 2005 Ltd said: ‘We are delighted with the fantastic response from the Shetland community who have been offering their support in vast numbers. Having seen the major impact volunteers have had on the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games we fully recognise the major contribution that Shetland’s volunteers will bring to the NatWest Island Games.
‘Volunteers are crucial to the success of the Games and we are sure that the experience gained by them will leave a lasting legacy for the future providing a platform of cultural links and friendships with other island communities; bringing a keener, more active interest in sport; developing a deeper understanding of all sports on the island; the strengthening of existing bonds within the local community and the provision of opportunities for volunteers to use their expertise in a variety of contexts, not just in sport, both at home and abroad.’
Many of Shetland’s volunteers have been working tirelessly behind the scenes for up to up to two years. Since the last Island Games staged in Guernsey in 2003, 15 sports co-ordinators have been meticulously planning the logistics for each of their sporting events at the Games. 60 Island Attachés have been forging strong links with the 23 visiting island communities in anticipation of their key roles as ambassadors during the Games. They will facilitate the smooth and effective communication and liaison between the
teams, the officials, the organisers and the local community throughout the Games. They will also provide administration and logistics support; offering assistance and advice when and where needed.
Alison Bain, Lead Attaché for Jersey, said: ‘Becoming involved as a volunteer has been great fun and a really rewarding experience. It has provided me with an opportunity to become part of a huge community effort inShetland and I look forward to assisting the Jersey team management in the Games week.’
A large number of volunteers have now undergone training courses, or are currently in the process of being trained, for a variety of key roles, including race officials, referees, umpires, judges and stewards and marshals for the major ceremonies and medal presentations. Those volunteers who have been recruited as assistant technical officials have recently completed a training course in athletics timekeeping, distance measurement, and data recording and have had the opportunity to put their skills into practise by officiating at the Shetland Athletics Team trials, which took place several weeks ago. Another exciting development is the selection of seven highly experienced local motorcyclists who have distinguished themselves by achieving a top, internationally-recognised qualification as motorcycle escort marshals for the many cycling events.
A number of Shetland athletes competing in the Games will act as officials in their own individual disciplines when not competing. They include swimmers who have undertaken a timekeepers’ course and volleyball players, who have honed their umpiring skills. Training courses for officials, umpires and score-keepers have also been run by the Shetland Indoor Bowls Association and the Shetland Clay Target Club.
Crucial contributors to this exciting international sporting event are the young Shetlanders, especially those members of local sports and youth clubs who will play a vital role in the medal presentations and opening and closing ceremonies.
On a more practical level there are those who are primed and ready to wash and iron football kit and ensure that all equipment is kept in good order. The local Scottish Women’s Rural Institute have already started work on preparing the bed linen for more than 650 beds being bought in from The Netherlands to provide accommodation for both athletes and officials. Other islanders have chosen to work on the frontline as airport and seaport officials to meet and greet the teams; as information assistants and as drivers.
Volunteers are integral to the achievement of the sportscotland Sport 21 vision of making sport more widely available to all; recognising sporting talent; and achieving and sustaining world class performances in sport. The NatWest Island Games will also be a key event in the successful implementation and delivery of Sport 21 Target 10 to sustain the 150,000 people currently volunteering in sport and, in the long run, add to this number.
Alastair Dempster, Chairman of sportscotland, said: ‘Volunteering in sport is great fun and a rewarding experience enabling people to contribute to their local community. Events such as the NatWest Island Games are dependant on volunteers. From the coaches and officials out on the field, to the often unsung heroes – the sports co-ordinators, the Island Attaches, the administrators and committee members working tirelessly behind the scenes – volunteers make things happen. They are the lifeblood of Scottish sport.’
Media Contact:
Paddy Cuthbert – Podge Publicity : T: 0131 477 2037 / M: 07968 699 636 / E:
mailtpaddy@podge.co.uk
Editor’s Notes:
The NatWest Island Games XI, Shetland 2005, 9 – 15 July. Shetland is the first Scottish member island to host the games; and with a population of approximately 23,000 it is the smallest island population ever to host this large-scale event.
NatWest Island Games XI, Shetland 2005:
http://www.shetland2005.info/
NatWest Island Games XI, Shetland 2005, event results website
http//www.shetlandresults2005.com
NatWest Island Games and the IGA: http://www.Islandgames.net/
The 24 member islands of the International Island Games Association are: Aland, Alderney, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Froya, Gibraltar, Gotland, Greenland, Guernsey, Hitra, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Jersey, Orkney, Prince Edward Island, Rhodes, Saaremaa, Sark, Shetland, St. Helena, Western Isles, Ynys Mon.
Sports for the NatWest Island Games XI, Shetland 2005: 15 different team and individual sports have been chosen from a list of 18 set down by the IGA: Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Bowls, Cycling, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Sailboarding, Sailing, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis and Volleyball.
Shetland
The Shetland Islands are situated 200 miles North of Aberdeen and 225 miles West of Bergen. Made up of a diverse group of over 100 islands, bordered by jagged cliffs and bleached white beaches, Shetland is ruled by water. The mainland of Shetland is approximately 70 miles in length and 35 miles wide, with a population of around 23,000. http://www.visitshetland.com/
Funding Partners
Shetland Islands Council, Shetland Charitable Trust, EventScotland and sportscotland
Sponsors and Supporters
NatWest is the official sponsor to the IGA and the NatWest Island Games. The NatWest Island Games XI, Shetland 2005, is the fourth Games that NatWest has sponsored.
A large number of Shetland businesses are also supporting the games.
http://www.shetland2005.info/
MEDIA CONTACT:
Paddy Cuthbert – Podge Publicity :
17 – 23 Calton Road, Edinburgh EH8 8DL
T: 0131 477 2037 / F: 0131 558 3904 / M: 07968 699 636
E: paddy@podge.co.uk / W: http://www.podge.co.uk/