MORE than 20 organisations have joined forces in Dorset to orchestrate the smooth running of the sailing competition and associated events for the London 2012 Games.

The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has been described in organisation and resource terms as ‘the largest single project undertaken in the UK for over 70 years’.

A series of working groups in the county, collectively known as the Weymouth and Portland 2012 Operations Group, have the responsibilities of transport, visitors, culture, health, communications, safety and security, volunteering, live site and torch relay.

Key contacts for each of the groups are bringing insight to their activities through a weekly column in the Dorset Echo and online at dorsetforyou.com /london2012.

Here Paul Lonsdale, vice principal of Weymouth College, urges youngsters to get involved in a volunteering scheme to welcome visitors to the borough during the Olympic and Portland.

WEYMOUTH College is seeking a third round of applications for its Young Ambassador programme this month to join forces with remaining students from the first two groups.

Together they will represent the views of college students on the Olympics in Weymouth and Portland and, wherever possible, try to influence legacy benefits for young people in the area.

Selection will take place in early November following an application and interview process. Students will have to be able to demonstrate how they will promote the Olympic and Paralympic values; how they will represent the interests of young people and how they will work with the college to promote the opportunities for volunteering during Games time.

Members of the previous two groups have visited Qingdao to meet young people who were involved in the Beijing 2008 Games.

The new volunteers will visit London where they will meet with young people from host borough colleges to discuss how they can all work together to ensure that their voice is heard.

On the final day of their visit they will be shown around the Olympic Park and other Olympic venues and have chance to meet with representatives from LOCOG and the Olympic Delivery Authority.

This is the college’s Olympic year and it’s vital that we maintain the visibility of our young people leading up to July 2012 and beyond.

The two previous groups have had many opportunities to meet with key people responsible locally for delivering a successful Games and I hope that these relationships will continue beyond Of course it’s important that the views of our young people are heard; they can and will contribute massively to a successful Games in 2012 and represent the future of our Borough.

• To find out more visit weymouth.ac.uk or search for Volunteering for All (Weymouth and Portland) on Facebook.