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| VOLUNTEERING
SUCCESS CRUCIAL TO LONDON OLYMPICS BID |
10/02/04 |
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Secretary David Blunkett has urged the charity sector to help London win
the Olympics by involving volunteers as an integral part of the bid.
Announcing that community participation in England has risen by more than
1.3m people since 2001, Blunkett said London's 2012 Olympic bid will need
up to 70,000 volunteers to perform a wide variety of tasks.
Blunkett said: "The UK has a thriving, successful history of voluntary service.
Communities and lives are transformed when people get involved. That is
why raising the level of volunteering and community participation in England
is a key target for the Home Office, and central to the government's civil
renewal agenda.
"We have increased the number of volunteers by over one million, and are
also on course to exceed the Home Office target of a rise of five per cent
in volunteering and community participation by 2006.
"This is good news not just for society as a whole, but for every individual
whose life will be changed as a result, often in some of our most deprived
communities. This achievement should now spur us on.
"London's bid for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is the next
target - active citizens will be a vital part of the Games."
Blunkett was joined by London Olympic bid chair Barbara Cassani and Home
Office charities minister Fiona Mactaggart to highlight the importance of
volunteers.
Cassani said: "Volunteers play a crucial part in the life of this country
and are a hugely important resource to sport in Britain. Volunteers played
a vital role in the Sydney Olympics and the Manchester Commonwealth Games
in helping both these sporting events be inspirational successes."
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