A Wymondham man will be spending part of his summer volunteering in London as a first aider during the Olympic Games.

Mark Fanning, 43, is set to join 150 other British Red Cross first aid volunteers at five of London's major stations, where they will be on hand to help people should they need first aid support.

The ex-serviceman joined the charity earlier this year.

'I decided to volunteer to with the Red Cross to support Olympics because it's a once in a life time chance. It is an amazing opportunity to be involved in this historic event with an internationally recognised organisation,' he said.

Mr Fanning, who works as a railway technician when he is not volunteering, will be based at Liverpool Street station during the Games and he is expecting a busy time.

'As a volunteer, it's going to be hard work and long hours, but it's nothing I haven't done before. We are trained in advanced first aid, and know how to deal with situations in a calm and efficient manner. I think I'm going to be able to retain a sense of humour because know I can escape back to peaceful Wymondham at the end of the day,' he said.

As well as carrying fully equipped medical kits, Red Cross volunteers will have multi-lingual first aid phrasebooks close to hand.