What a week and a half it’s been at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games!

As you’ll know, I’ve been an enthusiastic convert to – and massive advocate for – volunteering since Birmingham 2022. It’s such a fantastic way to give a little back and gain a real sense of community in return. And for language geeks, international events like the Commonwealth Games bring that wonderful world of diversity right to the doorstep.

It’s wise to expect the unexpected at these things, of course. I thought I might get the chance to say karibuni (welcome) in Swahili, or chat a little in French with francophone athletes in Glasgow.

But in fact, it was my tiny bit of Welsh that got an outing in and around the venues. Team Wales had a ton of supporters cheering the competitors on, so croeso! (welcome), diolch yn fawr (thanks a lot) and un… dau… tri… (one… two… three… – for taking group pics, of course) came in surprisingly handy! And isn’t it the best feeling when you say a few words and see those smiles of surprise in return? It makes all that dabbling worthwhile, even if you’ve learnt only a handful of words.

The other big language surprise came from among my fellow volunteers. Of all things, one of them spoke Norwegian fluently – cue a fun wee conversation on shift. And then there was the fab bus convo with two delegates who spotted me doing Duolingo: we ended up comparing notes on the languages we were learning.

That’s what happens when lots of lovely people come together for the big, lovely shindig that is volunteering. Like-minded souls, you might call us. Although everyone here has been equally lovely and also wonderfully different.

Glasgow 2026 has been an absolute ball. It’s made me want to keep spreading the word: if you get the chance, give event volunteering a go. It’ll open up your world!