The Mayor of London Boris Johnson today congratulated his Team London Ambassadors, who have been honoured with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee volunteering Award 2012. The Mayor’s 8,000 Team London Ambassadors have been recognised for their hard work and commitment during the Olympic and Paralympic Games in what has been one of the greatest years in the capital’s history. The awards commemorate Her Majesty the Queen’s 60 year reign.
The community spirited volunteers were one of the undoubted highlights of the summer as they helped Londoners and gave a warm, friendly welcome to thousands of visitors from across the globe, guiding them around the city to sporting venues as well as to the attractions London has to offer.
From July to September, the Ambassadors took to the streets and amassed more than 200,000 working hours and dealt with tens of thousands queries a day. The Mayor will send his congratulations to the Team London Ambassadors at People's Question Time event this evening in Stratford, the heart of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: ‘A major highlight of the summer of 2012 was without doubt the astonishing volunteers who gave up their time to give a fantastic welcome to London’s visitors from across the globe.
‘This year has been an annus mirabilis for volunteering in London and I am determined that momentum will not be lost and the magenta magicians will become a regular presence in the capital."
In their distinctive magenta uniforms, the Mayor's 8,000-strong team of Ambassadors welcomed the world to London during the 2012 Games. Building on a series of successful pilots since the Games, his Ambassadors are set to have a more permanent presence in the life of the capital. Over this festive period, Ambassadors will be providing a warm welcome to visitors arriving at Gatwick Airport and helping shoppers in and around tourist hotspot Piccadilly Circus.
In the new year, the Mayor will be joining forces with organisers of large scale events in London to provide an army of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers as an additional resource to welcome spectators and visitors to occasions such as his annual New Year's Eve fireworks display, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League Final, Saracens Rugby Club home games, international rugby fixtures, the Sundance Film Festival, Barclays ATP World Tennis Tour Finals, Turkish Airlines Euro League Basketball Finals and other top international events at the 02.
Notes to editors
Team London volunteers will play a key part in sporting and cultural events around the capital during 2013. Building on the success of a recent Ambassadors pilot event at St Pancras International, Team London Ambassadors will continue to provide a warm visitor welcome at a variety event across the capital.
Ambassadors will be stationed at Gatwick Airport 18-24 December and Piccadilly Circus 15-23 December. For information on how to sign up to volunteering opportunities and more about the Ambassadors scheme go to www.london.gov.uk/teamlondon
Sixty organisations have been awarded The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award to commemorate Her Majesty’s sixty year reign. It is a special, one-off category of the The Queen’s Award for voluntary Service, which was established in 2002 as part of the UK honours system to recognise the work of grassroots organisations at a local level.
The People’s Question Time meetings give Londoners a chance to question the Mayor and London Assembly members on what they are doing for London.