SIXTY people from across Northern Ireland have been given the chance to be involved in the Irish Open thanks to a partnership between the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) and Volunteer Now.
People of all ages and walks of life applied through NITB and Volunteer Now’s call for “Welcome Ambassador” volunteers. There was a large response and the lucky selected will have an important role in welcoming visitors to Northern Ireland’s biggest golfing tournament in 60 years which takes place at Royal Portrush from Wednesday 27th June – Sunday 1st July.
The Welcome Ambassadors will receive WorldHost ambassador training and volunteer to help welcome, orientate and signpost visitors attending the Irish Open, covering at least two days each. They will also have a chance to watch the tournament, with the European Tour offering each volunteer a ticket for one of the competition days.
There was a fantastic response to the call for volunteers with applications from a cross-section of the community including students, unemployed, the business community and retirees as NITB Industry Development Manager Carolyn Boyd explains.
“We are delighted to have had such a great response to our recent call and we have identified a range of dedicated and motivated individuals with great people skills who are proud of Northern Ireland and who want to help us make our visitors feel warmly welcomed when they arrive in Portrush later this month,” said Carolyn.
“This call for Welcome Ambassadors forms part of NITB’s focus on helping to create the best possible experience for the 100,000 plus visitors who will attend the tournament,” she added.
Wendy Osborne OBE, Chief Executive with Volunteer Now said: “This volunteer initiative provides a unique opportunity for the community to become involved in what is a very exciting event for the North Coast and Northern Ireland. Volunteers will enhance the experience of every visitor to the Open through their welcome and in turn they will gain experience of the tourism and events, meet new people and know they have helped support the delivery of the Irish Open Championship.
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with NITB on this pilot initiative which links to our legacy objectives for 2012,” Wendy added.