Llangollen International Eisteddfod relies every year on its 800 strong volunteer workforce. To further enhance the work of the Volunteering team the Festival has secured funding this year to train their Volunteers through the unique WorldHostUK scheme which began during the Winter Olympics in Canada in 2010. Since then nearly one million people worldwide have trained using WorldHost which was developed to raise the standards and delivery of customer service.

Janice Hardie, WorldHost Training co-ordinator for Llangollen International Eisteddfod explained We have already seen 12 of our volunteers through the training course in Principles of Customer Service, and are putting another 30 through before the International Eisteddfod. In addition, we are putting another 100 people through the World Host Ambassador course on 2nd July, immediately before we open. The course means that their skills will be shared among the 800 volunteers, it also means that these skills can be transferred to their day to day lives and work places. We are always looking for new volunteers for many different areas, such as, Finance, Floral, Grounds, Hospitality, Marketing, and many more. If you are interested go to our website www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk/support-us/volunteering/ ,

Christine Evans, External Contracts and Project Manager at Coleg Llandrillo said, 'WorldHost training is the customer service training of choice for the Olympics 2012 in London later this year. At Coleg Llandrillo we are licensed WorldHost training providers and we are delighted that Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod are working with us to set standards for welcoming the world here in Wales too by training all their team in advance of their prestigious week long Festival in July.'

Hawys Lebbon has completed her WorldHost Training in preparation for the 2012 International Eisteddfod. The World Host Training has an international status and shows Llangollen International Eisteddfods commitment to its volunteers and to the excellent standard of customer care. It is an honor for the Eisteddfod to be able to offer the course and exam. We learnt how to welcome and assist customers and how to go that step further to ensure they have an unforgettable experience.

Sian Angharad Davies and Haf Eleri Davies are two other volunteers who have benefited from their volunteering experiences with the International Eisteddfod. The sisters started volunteering with the festival 19 years ago.

Haf returns to North Wales from London every year to volunteer, she explains that she, Started in 1993 as a Steward. We both got involved with the Eisteddfod when I had nothing to do after sitting my GCSE exams and Sian thought a week skiving six-form was a good idea. Little did we know we would be getting up earlier than ever to go down to the Eisteddfod field at the crack of dawnbut we love it!

Sian Angharad Davies says that, Being involved with Llangollen Eisteddfod for so many years is like being with your extend family, so catching up with friends that you may only see once a year is definitely time for a party and socialising at every opportunity. Its also great just to do something that is completely different to my work life. Being part of a team and knowing we are making a difference is so rewarding.