VOLUNTEERS hoping to become the welcoming faces of Weymouth and Portland during the 2012 sailing events have been undergoing training in the borough.

Seventeen people completed the ‘Introduction to Event Stewarding’ course at the Weyline Lounge at Weymouth Football Club’s Bob Lucas Stadium in an attempt to gain the necessary skills to become borough ambassadors.

The course, which was organised by Volunteer Centre Dorset and run by Interger, was part of a series of free volunteer training events that have taken place over the last two years to drum up local support for assisting the 2012 Games.

It comes ahead of the launch of the Weymouth and Portland Ambassadors Pro-gramme. Course content included controlling the movement of spectators, dealing with crowd problems, managing conflict, contributing to teamwork and dealing with emergencies.

Craig Womble, deputy manager of Volunteer Centre Dorset, said: “These volunteers are hopefully going to apply to be Weymouth and Portland Ambassadors in the fullness of time.

“We just want to give them some skills to increase their chances but they will still need to go through the proper application process once it launches.

“We’ve had massive interest. A lot of people can’t afford to go to London and get involved in the London Games, they want to do it locally.

“They know there’s going to be lots happening in Weymouth and Portland and they want to be part of it.”

Portland dental nurse Jo Way, 53, said: “I find the Olympics is an exciting event, I’m looking forward to it and I want to get involved.

“I missed the Gamesmaker programme however this ambassador scheme is quite personal for me as I’m passionate about the area and I want to be one of the smiley people welcoming visitors and making sure they have a great time.”

Weymouth and Portland 2012 operations team member Sarah Kennedy, who is organising the Weymouth and Portland Am-bassador scheme, said: “There’s still plenty of time for people to get involved in volunteering in the borough.

“We’ll be launching the ambassador scheme to recruit 800 people to assist with the 2012 sailing events next month, no one’s missed out yet.”

Tank Museum accountant and volunteer Paul Dolan, 49, of Wareham, said: “I want to get involved in the Olympics and to give a bit back to the local area.

The next course

THE next stewards’ courses will be held on June 16 and June 23 and includes refreshments plus a free lunch.

The course is available to volunteers 16 or over and not in full-time education. Numbers are limited so a booking fee of £30 is being charged which is fully refundable on attendance Call Craig Womble or Shaun Hollywood at Volunteer Centre Dorset on 01305 269214, or email info@volun teeringdorset.org.uk or visit volunteeringdorset .org.uk