THE volunteers who will be welcoming visitors to this weekend's Bournemouth Wheels Festival have been trained and prepared to assist people during the three-day event.

People of all ages have stepped up to be part of the Festival Maker scheme being run by Bournemouth Tourism and Bournemouth University to help thousands of people to enjoy all of attractions on offer, from May 29 to 31.

Debbie Sadd from Bournemouth University's Event Management course was on-hand to get all of the volunteers up to speed on Saturday, May 23, although many had returned to help from last year and were keen to get involved.

She said: "The first group during the day were the new volunteers. The Mayor of Bournemouth, Cllr Chris Mayne, came along to speak to them, which was nice. Then we had Jon Weaver, Bournemouth Tourism marketing and events manager, who took over to give them more specific information about the festival and where everything is going to be, so that they are fairly knowledgeable on the day."

Debbie said that there were around 50-60 festival makers in total, who would be on-hand to welcome people from Bournemouth railway station, the park-and-ride sites, Bournemouth Gardens and Pier Approach.

The Festival Makers, dressed in purple shirts and straw hats, will also be on-hand to answer visitors' questions and help them navigate the six zones which make up the Bournemouth Wheels Festival.

Across the weekend, there will be a host of F1, Le Mans and supercar demonstrations, monster truck shows, motorbike, skateboard and BMX stunts and vintage displays for the second year of the Bournemouth Wheels Festival.

The park-and-ride site for 2015 is at Kings Park and people will be dropped off at Manor Road in Bournemouth. Visitors will be able to take advantage of a Wheels Festival shuttle bus, which is new for 2015, running from 10am to 6pm each day from Pier Approach to Boscombe Pier.

Anyone who may be interested in volunteering at future events, such as Bournemouth Air Festival or next year's Wheels Fest event, should email Festivalmakers@bournemouth.gov.uk