Personal Best volunteer to carry Olympic flame as colleagues steward Torch Relay

Participants of a groundbreaking training programme will help steward the Torch Relay on Sunday as one of their colleagues from Newham carries the Olympic flame over Tower Bridge.

Forty four Personal Best students from Newham (6), Tower Hamlets (6), Lambeth (24) and Westminster (8) will offer information and help direct crowds while Jesa Modhawadia, 45, will carry the flame for 250m. He was selected as part of the Personal Best programme which is linked to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Personal Best is run by the London Development Agency and the Learning and Skills Council to help some of the city's most disadvantaged to improve their job prospects. It uses the excitement of the 2012 Games to promote training for an accredited volunteering qualification while also offering participants support into further volunteering, training or work.

Closer to the time, graduates will be offered an interview to become a volunteer at the 2012 Games while 10% of Games time volunteers will come from the national Personal Best programme.

Personal Best is currently running in 11 boroughs and will be rolled out London-wide from this spring. So far, 15% of the 370 graduates from the programme have moved into jobs, 42% have taken up further training and 33% have opted for volunteering opportunities. In total, the programme is expected to benefit up to 20,000 Londoners.

Personal Best volunteer and torch bearer Jesa Modhawadia said:

"This is the best thing to happen to me. It's like winning a gold medal at the Olympics. Before I joined Personal Best I would not have had the confidence to be a volunteer or apply to carry the flame.

"My aim now is to be a volunteer at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Games."

Manny Lewis, Chief Executive of the London Development Agency, said:

"Personal Best is about giving people the skills and confidence to make that first step into the job market, training courses or into a volunteer placement. It is great to see that after only a few months on the programme participants are confident enough to use new skills at such a high profile event.

"We aim to reduce worklessness across London by 70,000 through the 2012 Games and Personal Best will play a big role in achieving this."

Mary Conneely, Learning and Skills Director of Regeneration, said:
 
"Personal Best is motivating people to get back into education and training to gain the skills they need not just for the 2012 games, but also to achieve a qualification and employment.  To be part of a historical event such as the Torch relay will inspire the Personal Best participants as well as offering them practical experience and confidence in being part of a large event."

Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee said:

"The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are a once in a lifetime opportunity for London and Londoners and it is fantastic to see Personal Best graduates gaining further experience of working at major sporting events. Four and a half years out from the Games themselves, Personal Best is clearly helping to deliver our vision for increased employment and skills opportunities for Londoners."

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For media enquiries, please contact Andreas Christophorou at the LDA Media Team on 020 7593 8444; for public enquiries, please call 020 7593 9000; for out of hours media enquiries, please call 07977 439 371.

Notes to editors

1. Personal Best is being funded by the LDA and the LSC. It is being supported by the London 2012 Organising Committee, the Department for Media, Culture and Sport, JobCentre Plus, Greater London Volunteering and the 11 local authorities.
2. The LDA and LSC have developed the programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games based on the programme's success at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games.
3. The 11 boroughs taking part in the first phases of Personal Best are Newham, Hackney, Waltham Forest, Greenwich and Tower Hamlets, Brent, Westminster, Southwark, Lambeth, Haringey and Croydon.
4. The Personal Best training includes health and safety, first - aid awareness, customer relations, computer skills and an appreciation of the Olympic spirit. Courses will be delivered by local colleges and training providers in the heart of communities. Participants also have the option of gaining a level one qualification in Event Volunteering.
5. The LDA is working with each local authority and volunteer sector partners to target participants from groups that face the biggest barriers to employment. Borough advisers are also employed to offer guidance on how to find work, gain further training and take part in local sport and community events to hone their skills.
6. Personal Best graduates will be guaranteed an interview to become a volunteer at Games time. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games has a target of taking 10% of Games-time volunteers from the national Personal Best programme. Recruitment for the Games time volunteer programme will begin in 2010.
7. The London Development Agency works to improve the quality of life for all Londoners and drive sustainable economic growth.