Catholic hosts needed for families of Olympic competitors

Herman Beetge, Stepanie Cook MBE, and James Parker

An initiative to find volunteers who will provide free accommodation for the family members of 2012 Games competitors has been launched.

This is in response to the estimated high cost of hotel accommodation this coming summer when prices are expected to at least double. Without this opportunity, many family members and friends of athletes would otherwise be unable to attend the 2012 Games and continue giving their support.

More Than Gold, the agency set up by all the main Christian denominations to help churches engage with the 2012 Games, unveiled their Athlete Family Homestay Programme on Monday 7 November.

Olympic athlete Stephanie Cook MBE, a board member of More Than Gold, declared the initiative ‘open’. Steph was a gold medallist in modern pentathlon at Sydney’s Olympic Games in 2000, where her mother and sister were among 700 family members who used the Athlete Family Homestay Programme there.

Steph Cook said: "The warm welcome and hospitality of a lovely family made my family’s stay in Sydney very special, and meant they were able to be there to support me during the greatest days of my life. Now we in the UK want to offer the same opportunity to hundreds of athletes and their families during the 2012 Games.

"For the families of competitors the cost of flights can be bad enough. For them to know that their accommodation can be sorted is a huge weight off their shoulders."

Reflecting on the experience of her own family, Steph added: "Through the Athlete Family Homestay Programme, family members of athletes will share their experience of the Games with the family who hosts them, making it very special for all involved. To be welcomed into someone’s home, and share fully in the experience, is wonderful for the guest and also the host family who become even closer to the Games."

When accepted as hosts, the volunteers will provide bed and breakfast for at least eight days for up to two guests. In addition they will also give the practical help needed for their guests to make the most of their stay during the Games.

Coordinating the programme is Herman Beetge, who played a major role in the volunteer programme for South Africa’s FIFA World Cup. He saysL "This is about more than the cost of accommodation. Many overseas visitors will struggle to make the most of their Games experience without the practical help and care of a knowledgeable and caring local host."

Herman adds: ‘"t is also about more than just blood relatives. Through this programme it will also be possible to host those giving essential support which may include an athlete’s coach and close friends."

All hosts will be interviewed and accommodation inspected. Herman explains: "This is to make sure guests have the very best experience possible and that the programme is of the highest quality."

The London 2012 Inspire programme has granted More Than Gold’s Athlete Family Homestay Programme it’s prestigious Inspire mark which recognises innovative and exceptional projects directly inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games said: "We want to use the power of the Games to inspire change. The Inspire programme is recognising the work our partners all round the UK are doing to help us achieve this vision. I congratulate everyone involved in More Than Gold’s Athlete Family Homestay Programme for securing the Inspire mark and wish the project every success."

The majority of hosts are needed in the three London dioceses of Westminster, Brentwood and Southwark and the closer accommodation can be to event venues the better. However, hosts will also be needed in the seven other Catholic dioceses which include Benfleet, Birmingham, Broxbourne, Cardiff, Dorney Lake, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Weymouth and Portland Harbour.

James Parker, Catholic Executive Coordinator of the 2012 Games, said: "With many of the visitors expected to be Catholic, and our reputation for being wholly multi-cultural as Church, this is probably the most practical way for the Catholic community to be truly hospitable during next year’s Games."

Grahame Hodge of the Salvation Army’s 2012 Games Task Force helped organise the Athlete’s Family Homestay Programme for the Sydney Games. He said: "The families of athletes were overwhelmed to find that people would open their homes to them. That kind of practical Christian hospitality is priceless."

All registration of hosts and guests is online and courtesy of Staywimi, a leading innovative resource linking guests with private hosts. Prospective volunteer hosts can find more details at: www.morethangold.org.uk/homestay