Principle staff volunteer at the hugely successful Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

Our vision at Principle is to “positively impact the every day lives of our communities” and we believe it is vital to contribute to the community in which we work and live, both as a business and as individuals. Our employees are actively encouraged to take part in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities and we offer a day of extra leave per year for them to support an organisation, charity or event of their choice.

Some of the Principle team were recently involved in the hugely successful Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which relied on thousands of volunteers to make it a success. Kathryn Williams (Director) and Andy Cleverley (Finance) both volunteered and Catherine Ghaffoori (Property Manager) sang at the Opening Ceremony.

We spoke further to our Service Charge Accounts Team Leader, Andy Cleverley, to find out about his experience.

Why did you choose to volunteer at the Commonwealth Games?

After seeing the volunteers for the London 2012 Olympics, I just thought it looks like such a fun experience. Being a real people person, I knew I’d enjoy being outdoors, chatting and welcoming spectators and generally ensuring people enjoyed their time in Birmingham.

How did you get involved?

I signed up for updates from Birmingham 2022 and in June 2021 they opened applications to become a volunteer so I applied right away. I didn’t hear anything for a few months, until I got an invite to an interview around October time. Apparently over 45,000 applied and there were 15,000 spaces so I was delighted when I found out I’d been picked to be part of the “Commonwealth Collective” in February. From there, I took part in Role Specific Training and Venue Specific Training onsite at the Arena, Birmingham – where the gymnastics were being held.

What did you get up to over the week?

Before the Games even got underway, I was lucky enough to take part in the first dress rehearsal of the opening ceremony as a stand-in athlete. All the stand-in athletes were allocated a country taking party in the Games and were grouped together to represent the athletes taking part from that country. We got to take part in the parade of athletes – even had our own flag-bearers and everything!

Once the Games got underway, I was part of the 100-strong Events Services team that was responsible for giving the spectators the best experience possible whilst visiting our venue. I was primarily based outdoors, where I welcomed people as they arrived at the venue – gave them directions, answered any questions they had, taking photos for people and generally being a friendly, welcoming face. Once we were happy the majority of the spectators were indoors, I moved inside, again just being a presence for people on the concourse around the arena. Finally, as the events drew to a close, I’d move outdoors again to see people off and wish them well, whether they were heading home or off to another venue. Of course, I had one of the popular big foam Perry hands and lost count how many high-fives I gave over the course of the days!

What was your highlight?

The opening ceremony rehearsal was a surreal experience, walking around a packed-out Alexander Stadium as if you were an athlete on parade. More-so because you then got the experience the remainder of the opening ceremony from the stadium floor! Despite the rain on the night, I enjoyed every minute of it and getting to see the ceremony (if even in rehearsal form) before the live event felt special.

“Honestly though, my highlight was just feeling like a great ambassador for the Games and for Birmingham. Even when I’d finished my shifts, through the city in my uniform, I still found myself talking to people and just trying to help where I could, and anytime I saw another volunteer, we would still stop to talk and find out what we were doing and how we were finding everything”

Birmingham is an amazing city with a much-maligned reputation as a concrete jungle, yet in 2022 it couldn’t be further from the truth, and I really feel these Games showed the city off as a jewel in Midlands and made us Brummies truly proud of our crazy, colourful city!