East London Greeters
Resident volunteers are being recruited now from the five 2012 host boroughs, including Hackney, to show 
visitors from all over the world some of the finest gems in their own home borough.
You must be passionate about Hackney and keen to share and communicate your enthusiasm and knowledge with visitors. Greeters will lead visits to one or more of the areas listed below for up to six people, answering any questions visitors may have during their visit. The aim is to offer an exciting and rewarding East London visitor experience.
A Greeter will advise visitors on the best places for families to visit, places to eat, how to use local transport or to learn more about East London's heritage, architecture and history. The service will be free for visitors.
Visitors can ask to see specific sites or they can choose to leave it to the Greeter to decide the contents of the visit. They are taken on an unscripted journey through an area the greeter knows well.
The five host boroughs (Hackney, Greenwich, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest), working with the 
London Development Agency, are looking to recruit a network of volunteer greeters from across East London. The scheme is scheduled to launch in September 2011 and aims to recruit around 25-30 volunteers in the first phase, of which five will come from Hackney. The areas within Hackney that have been identified as being of particular interest to visitors are Hoxton and Shoreditch, and Hackney Central, including London Fields and Broadway Market.
You will be needed for a minimum of two hours a month for one year. To apply, you must be a local resident, over the age of 18, with a friendly and welcoming manner, be a confident public speaker and be knowledgeable about your area.
There will be no formal training, but all Greeters will be given an induction to ensure that Greets follow a similar pattern although their own individual enthusiasms will be encouraged.
The scheme is advertised online on the Visit East London website and the international site Gobal Green Network.
More information
For further information and to register to become a Hackney Greeter, please contact Helen Goodsell at helen.goodsell@hackney.gov.uk or Anne Malcolm at anne.malcolm@hackney.gov.uk
Page updated: 14 Feb 2011