SPECIALLY trained volunteers will extend a special Wirral welcome to hundreds of thousands of people from across the globe at next week’s Open Golf Championship at Hoylake.

Since January this around 250 Wirral people have benefitted from a similar training regime to that undertaken by volunteers working at the 2012 London Olympics.

They include volunteers on duty at Royal Liverpool, taxi drivers, local traders and people working in the tourism and hospitality industry.

The training is being delivered by Wirral Metropolitan College thanks to special funding.

Eirwen Thomas, a volunteer from Greasby said:  “I have recently come back to Wirral after living in the Isle of Man for a long time and I love the area.

"I am very happy here and am keen to give something back and help others to enjoy Wirral as much as I do.

“I’m full of enthusiasm for the borough and the Open so the more people I can speak to during the competition the better!”

Taxi drivers have received specific training Specifically,  to give them an understanding of how important visitors are to the local economy and about how uniquely placed they are as taxi and private hire drivers to influence their experience of visiting the area.

They have been encouraged to find out about all the things that are going on in the region this summer and about the established attractions so they can pass on their knowledge to visitors.

Wirral Council leader Cllr Phil Davies said: “It is great to see so much enthusiasm from local people who have been really keen to get involved.

“With the Open Golf and the International Festival of Business, Wirral and the wider city region have been firmly in the spotlight so it’s important that we create a lasting impression to our visitors and maximise opportunities to boost the local economy.

Wirral hosted the most successful English Open in 2006 when it welcomed 230,000 spectators to Royal Liverpool  to see Tiger Woods win the claret jug.