Commonwealth Games: We Get Set For Glasgow 2014

As Glasgow prepares for one of the biggest sporting events in its history, The Salvation Army is getting set to help look after thousands of sports fans.

The church and charity will play a major role in the Commonwealth Games this summer by staging a range of initiatives to enable visitors and local people to make the most of the historic event.

These initiatives include:

· Large-scale water distribution programme – Teams of Salvation Army volunteers will hand out 50,000 bottles during the Games. Every day volunteers will be located Glasgow Central (1Oam-1pm) and Dalmarnock train stations (10-7pm). This will be co-ordinated and funded by The Salvation Army, and follows similar programmes during the London Olympics and Paralympics in 2012.

· Sports Ministry Co-ordinator – The Salvation Army has invested in a dynamic new role to help communities enjoy healthy lives. Former Airdrie youth footballer Bobby Weir, who is a qualified sports coach, also hopes to use Glasgow 2014 and Salvation Army’s Sport for Good legacy initiative to help service users involved in drug and alcohol recovery.

· Sport for good – The Salvation Army is using sport and the Commonwealth Games as a springboard to help improve people’s lives. Corps from Orkney in the north to Stranraer in the south have received additional funding from a special mission pot to run summer activities designed to establish a sporting legacy.

· Athlete Family and Volunteer Homestay Programme – Members of The Salvation Army will be taking part in a scheme to help athletes' families and volunteers find a place to stay during the Commonwealth Games.  

· Fundraising for the Athlete Family and Volunteer Homestay Programme - Service users at Salvation Army homeless lifehouses around Scotland took part in a football tournament to raise money for the Athlete Family and Volunteer Homestay Programme. The programme provides affordable accommodation for many athletes’ families and visiting volunteers who would otherwise struggle to find accommodation.

· Anti-human trafficking – as the main provider of support for human trafficking in the UK, The Salvation Army will provide volunteers to man UN GIFT Boxes that will be placed around the city – Glasgow Cathedral, Argyle Street, Sauchiehall Street and Buchanan Street for the duration of the Games. The boxes were used during the London Olympics to raise awareness of human trafficking. For more information, visit http://ungiftbox.org

The Salvation Army has a long history in Glasgow and set up its first Scottish corps at Anderston in the late 1800s as the church and charity was expanding from England.

We welcome calls from the media and have spokespeople available on all the initiatives listed above if you need comment or someone to interview. We can provide pre-recorded, broadcast quality video and audio telling the stories of the many people we have supported to change their lives.

For more information on The Salvation Army’s involvement with the Commonwealth Games, visit http://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/uki/2014-Commonwealth-Games.