During our Volunteers' Week 2023 festivities, we are raising awareness about the multitude of volunteering opportunities available and highlighting just how simple it is to get involved. We are also sharing some inspirational volunteering stories from organisations as well as personal stories form volunteers on what volunteering means to them.
Here is the Orkney Island Games 2025 story:
Orkney is hosting the twentieth International Island Games from 12 - 18 July 2025. This week-long event will see athletes from up to 25 island groups from across the world compete in 13 sports Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Bowls, Cycling, Clay Shooting, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Sailing, Squash, Swimming and Triathlon.
Turning Orkney into the perfect ‘stadium’ for seven days of competition, will take the mammoth effort of over a thousand volunteers. Although we are two years away the volunteering effort is already gathering pace.
The Organising Committee for the Orkney 2025 International Island Games has gathered some amazing volunteers with an incredible breadth of knowledge and experience. Without this team of volunteers, the Games would simply not get off the starting block.
These long term volunteers include Executive Board Members, Sport Competition Managers for the Game’s 13 sports as well as some serious logistical support in the fields of transport, education, ceremonies, IT, broadcast and volunteer management. Some of the key members of the team have been involved since the bid stage, some for over a year already and some have come on in the past few months.
One of Orkney 2025’s long term volunteers, Stewart Fotheringhame, who is the Golf Competition Manager, explains his involvement with the Games:
My first experience of competing in the Island Games was in Sweden and I was instantly hooked on the experience and have subsequently taken part in Guernsey, Isle of Wight, Shetland and Bermuda. I was delighted to accept the opportunity to be Golf Competition Manager for the Orkney Games in 2025 feeling I could give something back.
As chair of the joint Kirkwall and Stromness 'Golf 2025' committee, Stewart and his team has been busy, upgrading both courses since the announcement of a successful bid for the games back in 2018.
Kirsty Talbot, Games Director says:
The effort, dedication and professionalism shown is outstanding and there is one common goal, they all have real passion for the Island Games and making it as big a success as possible for Orkney”
The team will be making the most of the upcoming games in Guernsey to learn how to harness volunteering on an enormous scale. If you want to help Orkney realise its ambition to host the best games yet, put the date in your dairy, 12 – 18 July 2025 and get ready to sign up to make it happen.
Orkney 2025 will be launching its Games-time volunteer programme in January 2024, if you would like to get in touch in the meantime, then please email info@orkney2025.com
