A call has been issued for Moray households to help support hundreds of volunteers who will be flocking to the region this summer for the World Orienteering Championships.
During the first week in August well over 5000 competitors from around the world will arrive in Moray and the Highlands for the World Championships and the parallel Scottish6Days event.
While many of the competitive events are being centred around Inverness, Forres will host qualification for the sprint event on the opening day of championships on July 31, while the opening ceremony will be held the following day in Nairn.
The sprint final will also be held in Forres on Sunday, August 2 with the worlds best athletes competing.
As was the case for the Olympic Games in London and Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the championships simply could not take place without the assistance of hundreds of volunteers.
Finding accommodation for those vital people from around the world is a daunting task – and that is why organisers are asking for help from the public.
WOC2015 volunteer manager Linda Cairns said: “We are organising a small-scale “Homestay” programme for volunteers.
“As has been the case for other major sporting events in the UK, including the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics, volunteers are vital to a successful event not just for competitors but for the thousands of spectators who will descend on the region.
“We are asking people in the Highlands and Moray to consider hosting one of these volunteers in their own homes maybe for a couple of nights or for the week.
“It is expected that we will have around 500 volunteers who are arriving from throughout the UK and beyond – and while many will have managed to make accommodation plans some will struggle and we hope to fill that void.”
Anyone interested in assisting with accommodation is asked to visit http://www.woc2015.org/volunteers/volunteer-accommodation.