Islington's Street Environment Wardens become Ambassadors for London

London Borough of Islington's Street Environment Wardens have been congratulated by Olympic gold medallist Jonathan Edwards for their efforts in welcoming visitors to London.

At a celebratory event, held at the London Transport Museum, the neighbourhood wardens were praised for successfully completing their 'London Ambassador' training, in which they gained new skills and knowledge to improve their visitor welcome.

Funded by the London Development Agency (LDA), the London Ambassador scheme enables existing front line staff to provide an approachable welcome on the streets of the capital to all visitors on behalf of London. The scheme is an integral part of the LDA's programme to improve the 'visitor welcome' to the capital in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Olympic Gold Medalist Jonathan Edwards said:

"A successful Olympic Games is not just determined by new world records or feats of athletic prowess. It's determined by the greeting that both athletes and spectators receive.  In joining the London Ambassador scheme, neighbourghood wardens are taking a big step towards ensuring London 2012 provides a warm welcome to everyone, irrespective of their nationality, ethnicity or gender. If we can get this right, then people will return to this great city time and again."

Islington's Team Leader, Kenny Wilkes said:

"The London Ambassador Scheme recognises the role that the Street Environment Wardens play in welcoming visitors on the streets and has given us the extra support and information we need to ensure we can give them all the help they require."

In the first year of the scheme over 200 front line staff, such as Islington's Street Environment Wardens, have become London Ambassadors, putting local people at the forefront of welcoming visitors to the capital.

The scheme is now being rolled out to BAA Customer Hosts at Terminal 5, staff at other transport networks and other key visitor contact points.

The London Development Agency's Director of International Promotion and the Visitor Economy, Carolyn Smith said:

"The London Ambassador training is a fantastic way to boost the skills and confidence of existing front line staff. We will continue to work with the City Guardians and other public facing staff to ensure that visitors to London receive a friendly welcome and will encourage others that are yet to participate to get involved."

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For media enquiries: please contact Luke Robinson at the LDA Media Team on 020 7593 8069 or email lukerobinson@lda.gov.uk

Notes to editors:

1. The London Development Agency works to improve quality of life for all Londoners and drive sustainable economic growth. The LDA invests directly in strategic projects designed to improve the quality of the tourism product and the visitor experience, to improve training and skills in the sector, to supply market intelligence, and to support London's tourism businesses. The LDA grant funds Visit London for the marketing of London.
2. Neighbourhood Wardens Scheme are run by Local Authorities and Business Improvement Districts to provide a uniformed, presence on the streets that act as the eyes and ears of their community. Through this scheme wardens gain additional skills and knowledge to enable them to become London Ambassadors and offer an exemplary welcome to visitors.
3. With tourism worth around £15 billion to the capital's economy and a record 15.6 million overseas visitors to London last year, the need for quality on street information has never been more important. As part of their training, Ambassadors find out more about the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and events taking place in the run up to the Games such as the Cultural Olympiad.
4. The Role of a London Ambassador:
• To provide an approachable, visible and local on-street,
• welcome to all visitors on behalf of London,
• To proactively assist with visitor queries,
• To communicate local information and signpost to key attraction and facilities across London to visitors,
• To inspire visitors to explore and enjoy London,
• To ensure visitors enjoy London in a safe and secure environment.
5. Tourism Statistics: 2006 was a record year for overseas visitors to London. Tourism provides a boost of £15 billion to London's economy and supports an estimated 280,000 full-time jobs. In the last year, overseas visits to London grew by 12.3% bringing the total to a record 15.6 million. Total visitor spending in the capital was a record £10.1 billion.