HALTON residents are being invited to become volunteers and join a ‘once in a lifetime' Mersey Gateway Bridge project.

Merseylink is holding a volunteer information day on Tuesday, September 2, at 5.45pm in the Kingsway Learning Centre, Victoria Square, Widnes to give potential volunteers an idea of the role they could play.

So far around 40 people have enrolled as volunteers with Merseylink.

The construction consortium is seeking hundreds more to join the project team and help to tell the story of Halton and the £600 million bridge - one of the largest building projects in the UK- over the next three and a half years.

All successful applicants will be enrolled on to a special Mersey Gateway volunteer training programme, which will cover the following aspects:

• employability skills

• customer skills

• presentation skills

• community engagement

• history, aims and objectives of the project

• local heritage

• scope of project - works, services and tolling • construction programme - length, phases, key milestones.

Once recruited, volunteers will work alongside Merseylink staff in delivering a programme of talks, presentations and temporary exhibitions in local community venues, schools and colleges. Volunteers will also support the exhibitions, talks and presentations offered through the visitor centres.

To register your interest, e-mail volunteers@merseylink.com.