It seems like you can’t go anywhere in Hoylake at the moment without bumping into helpful people in yellow bibs.
The brightly coloured 300 strong army answered a call to sign up to Wirral Council’s volunteer Open ambassadors programme.
Their role is to greet Open spectators and provide advice, directions and other useful information, helping familiarise them with the area.
While some on social media have been quick to accuse the council of exploiting free labour, volunteering has long been an integral part of major events across the world – from the Olympics to the Commonwealth Games, through to the World Cup and the Euros, and the Giants and Eurovision in Liverpool.
Wirral was the first Open location to have the ambassadors scheme, when the competition returned to Hoylake in 2006, and the R&A has carried it on at other locations where the tournament is held.
Wirral Council said that many of the ambassadors are from the local area and the wider city region.
One of this year’s volunteers is Poul Weisbjerg from Denmark, who holidays in Hoylake every year with his wife, who is originally from Prenton.
In a video on Wirral Council’s social media feed, Poul said: “When the Open came up again, my wife said ‘wouldn’t it be a good idea to volunteer here and we could do it together with our holiday’.
“I love the Wirral. We live in Denmark, in the south of Jotland, near to the border of Germany. I’m retired now, but I have been a police officer for 35 years.”
Describing the atmosphere, he said: “It’s wild! It’s normally quiet [when we visit]. And it’s amazing….it’s so full of life and people.”
During the Championship, the volunteers work six hour volunteer shifts throughout the week, ranging ranging between 6.30am and 9pm.
Leader of Wirral Council, Cllr Paul Stuart, is appreciative of their work. He recently said: “Tens of thousands of visitors will be attending every day of the Championship and having local people with their local knowledge to help them make the most of their visit to our borough will help them feel more comfortable and ensure things run as smoothly as possible.”
