Volunteering England welcomes the Government’s Action Plan on the long-term benefits of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics but says the Government needs to act fast to resource the infrastructure to recruit and develop volunteers for the Games and to sustain the volunteering legacy beyond 2012.
Commenting on the action plan published today by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Before, during and after: making the most of the London 2012 Games, Justin Davis Smith, Chief Executive of Volunteering England, said:
“We welcome the support which Government is putting behind young people in getting them more involved in their communities. 2012 offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to inspire young people into being involved in sports and cultural activities themselves and in volunteering to help other people take part.
“It is good to see in the Action Plan that the Government and its partner agencies have recognised that volunteers will play an essential role in enabling more people to take part in sport and that those volunteers will need to be supported.
“But all the same, many people who are trying to plan to prepare volunteers of all ages for 2012 are going to be disappointed by this Action Plan. The Government is in danger of letting slip the opportunities we now have to strengthen systems to recruit and support volunteers for 2012.
“The Government must also very soon focus on how the enthusiasm and commitment of those 70,000 or so people who volunteer during the Games can be sustained afterwards. If these 70,000 people are just demobilised in September 2012 it will be a missed opportunity to establish a human legacy of people’s active involvement in their communities.“
Dr Justin Davis Smith added:
“Volunteer centres and volunteer-involving organisations had been hoping for a positive steer in an action plan from the Government about preparing people for 2012 and for the legacy. We need to build on our country’s infrastructure of volunteer centres as they have the knowledge and experience in recruiting and supporting volunteers from all sections of society. They need to be resourced to play their part in this huge national undertaking.
“When Government responded to the Commission on the Future of Volunteering, it pledged to support its call to place volunteering in the DNA of our society. Its planning for the London 2012 Games should provide a demonstration of that commitment.”
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Notes to editors
- For more information please contact Mary Ann Day on 020 7520 8932 or email maryann.day@volunteeringengland.org.
- Volunteering England works to promote volunteering as a powerful force for change, both for those who volunteer and for the wider community. For further information go to www.volunteering.org.uk or call 0845 305 6979
