Eurovision: 2,500 people in Liverpool volunteer for 500 roles

Turin mayor Stefano Lo Russo handed over the symbolic Eurovision key to Liverpool mayor Joanne Anderson last month

Thousands of applications have been received for Eurovision Song Contest volunteer roles in Liverpool.

They will help about 100,000 additional visitors who are expected to descend on Merseyside when it hosts the international music competition in May.

Liverpool beat several other UK cities for the honour of staging the event on behalf of war-torn Ukraine, who won last year's contest.

Liverpool City Council is seeking 500 volunteers from 1-14 May.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the council had received five times that number of applications.

During two weeks of Eurovision events, volunteers will be positioned across the city centre, at the Tourist Information Centre in Liverpool ONE, at the Eurovision Village on the Pier Head, and at key transport hubs.

Their duties will include scanning tickets, meeting and greeting visitors, and welcoming artists to backstage areas in the Eurovision Village.

The council wants volunteers to help across two weeks of events in the city

After the roles were first announced last month, there was some debate about whether they should be paid positions.

Mayor Joanne Anderson tweeted: "Volunteering is an integral part of holding large events in the UK. The trade union and Labour movement have been built on volunteer time. I have given hours and hours of free time to the Labour movement - even paid subs for the privilege."

Several trade union members were vocal in their opposition, however, with Carl Roper of the TUC saying: "Joanne, with respect these are cleaning and catering jobs.

"Surely you don't think someone should clean artists' dressing rooms without being paid? To equate this to the work of union reps and activists is seriously disingenuous."

Liverpool City Council's advert said: "Volunteering is an opportunity to meet new people, gain skills and make great memories. It is a rewarding experience to feel part of a team and to have contributed to an event that will be talked about for decades."

In response, the TUC said: "Workers should be paid, and these advertised roles look like more than people might expect from volunteers."

All the build-up, insights and analysis will be explored each week on a new BBC podcast called Eurovisioncast.

Eurovisioncast is available on BBC Sounds, or search wherever you get your podcasts from.