As the two-year countdown to the London 2012 Olympic Games begins, the organisers are calling on people throughout the UK to play an active part in this once-in-a-lifetime event. If you are relocating to a new area, this could be an excellent way of getting involved in your community and making new friends.

Volunteers are being sought for a variety of posts at the games, including ticket checking, uniform distribution, and staffing helpdesks and information points. Visit www.london2012.com/volunteering for information.

You could also sign up as one of 8,000 London Ambassadors, who are being recruited to help the millions of visitors who will travel to London for the games to get around and enjoy their stay. Ambassadors will be located at key points across the city, such as transport hubs, Olympics venues, and visitor attractions.

But you don’t need to live in, or near, London, to get into the Olympics spirit. With London 2012’s education programme, Get Set, now reaching over 14,000 schools nationwide and Cultural Olympiad projects launched, there are London 2012 initiatives happening all over the country.

Tickets for London 2012 go on sale in the spring of 2011, but you can register your interest now at www.tickets.london2012.com