‘I started volunteering when I was about ten and I haven’t really stopped since,’ says Mark.  ‘About 18 months ago I had the opportunity to apply to become a London 2012 Event Trailblazer.  This meant that I was responsible for interviewing others applying to become ‘Games Maker’ volunteers.  I then decided to apply to become a ‘Games Maker’ myself and was lucky enough to be picked as a member of the events team at the beach volleyball.’

Besides being fun, Mark views volunteering as a great way to gain new skills.  His undertook his volunteering work as an Event Trailblazer while he was on his placement year with the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD), the UK Government’s official export credit insurer offering support for buyer and supplier credit facilities.

‘Besides benefiting from the professional learning and development that a placement year brings, my employers were also very supportive of my volunteering work and gave me time off to do it,’ Mark says.

His experience as a volunteer also ticked a big box for Mark when he made his successful application to Barclays to join them – final results permitting – as a global operations analyst on their graduate recruitment scheme.    

Mark is currently undergoing training for his ‘Games Maker’ duties.  He has already attended an orientation training day at Wembley Arena along with hundreds of other volunteers, and he is looking forward to further role-specific training sessions in May.  

So what is he hoping to bring to his role as Workforce Team Manager at the beach volleyball competition?

‘Volunteering has been such a motivating force in my life and I really hope to be able to pass on my enthusiasm and passion for it to the volunteers I’ll be responsible for during the competition.

‘It’s also a great chance to promote youth volunteering and hopefully help offset the bad press that young people sometimes get.’

And Mark hopes his London 2012 volunteering won’t be stopping when the competition ends.

‘I’m also hoping to become a part of the ‘Beyond 2012’ legacy scheme which is working to spread the benefits of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games into future years. But in the meantime, I’ve got an exam or two to pass first.’

For more information on other Celebrate Surrey stories visit: www.surrey.ac.uk/celebratesurrey.