Volunteering and wellbeing: case study of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games volunteer programmes

Recent analyses of major sporting events and their legacies are evident; however, as with wide-ranging evaluations, the examination of these events is inclined to disregard the social dimension. This research evaluates the potential social legacy opportunity for Glasgow as a major event host city through its volunteer programmes. Specifically, it examines to what extent volunteering as part of a major sport event influences wellbeing. The participants’ thoughts and feelings about their experience of volunteering at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games was revealed using a self-reported, retrospective wellbeing scale – the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well Being Scale (WEMWBS). The use of the scale is intended to show how the participants feel about themselves pre- and post-Games as part of a volunteer programme. The findings suggest that wellbeing does increase and a one-off large event volunteer experience does have an impact on reported wellbeing levels, including confidence, optimism, and usefulness. Therefore, it is argued that volunteering might contribute to higher reported levels of wellbeing in both people with previous volunteering experience and non-volunteers. Considering the importance of legacy within major event literature, these findings propose an original insight into wider major event volunteer programmes’ potential social impacts and legacies.