- Residents of London can be part of the 2012 Games meeting and greeting Olympic athletes at a celebratory Heathrow Airport
- Selection day 12 November
Heathrow is recruiting 1,000 Team Heathrow volunteers to help with special events over the next few years, including London 2012 and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
In return they could be greeting athletes and VIPs, helping spectators find their way and managing fans waiting for a peek of their heroes.
The Host Airport for the London 2012 Games and Paralympic Games is gearing up to welcoming athletes to Great Britain next year with a party atmosphere, giving them the first and last impression of the Country – local residents can help make it a success by signing up to attend a selection day on 12 November 2011.
The airport will be decorated throughout to capture the excitement of the Games and welcome almost 80 per cent of all Games passengers, including athletes, officials, sponsors, media and spectators.
It will be a unique operational challenge for the airport, with the day after the closing ceremony of the Games set to be the busiest day ever.
BAA Chief Executive Colin Matthews said: “This is an exciting time for Great Britain and it is an honour for everyone at Heathrow to be amongst the first to welcome athletes and others to the London 2012 Games. The Olympics and Paralympics will be challenging for us and we are working hard to ensure everything works as smoothly as possible.
“We are inviting enthusiastic volunteers to join our team and provide the best possible reception to our country’s many visitors.”
On the busiest day the number of bags expected to leave the airport is more than 25 per cent higher than usual peak times. Around 15 per cent of the bags will be large sporting equipment such as canoes, pole vaults or bikes which cannot be processed through normal baggage systems.
Leading the recruitment is Joanne John who has competed nationally in the hammer and internationally in the bobsleigh for Team GB.
Volunteers will have the chance to receive a range of London 2012 or Heathrow related rewards. It is an opportunity to make new friends, contacts and networks; enhance CVs; build skills; and most of all be part of the action and help us make your country proud. People can sign up at www.teamheathrow.com
The first selection day for volunteers will be on Saturday 12 November at the Heathrow Academy in Hounslow inviting those who have signed up (before the day) to come along, meet a high profile athlete and discover what skills they could bring to the airport. There will be a further selection day in December.
