Every year, volunteers work 800,000 hours for the Norwegian Tourist Association. In his New Year’s speech in December, King Harald was able to declare this year, 2022, the year of volunteers work. On February 2 2022., Crown Prince Haakon visited volunteers from the Norwegian Tourist Association in Maridalen, in the forests outside the Norwegian capital of Oslo. Crown Prince Haakon is the year 2022’s patron of Volunteering.
In bright sun and 12 degrees below zero, the Crown Prince was welcomed to the former military camp by Mayor Marianne Borgen, a strong press corps, and a large group of volunteers in red anoraks.
To the press Crown Prince Haakon said: “It is an incredibly nice area. It is like that when you drive out from Oslo, and like today where it was sunny and fresh snow, it is incredibly nice. You get a special peace when you come out here in Maridalen. And then we all drink the water from here, so it is also an important contribution. This is not my closest neighbourhood, but have been here a few times. And then it is quite snow-safe, to ski here when there are bad conditions elsewhere”.
Volunteer work is the backbone of the Norwegian Tourist Association. The Secretary General of the Norwegian Tourist Association said: “Without the efforts of volunteers all over the country, outdoor life would have looked quite different. We would not have had not had the marked paths, the cabins would be dilapidated, and hiking groups all over the country would have disappeared. It is great that the Crown Prince comes to visit at the very beginning of what is the Year of Volunteering”.
The volunteers in Maridalen told the Crown Prince of their work. Haakon also got an introduction to the production of firewood, furniture and bridges for Oslo and the surrounding area. In addition, the Norwegian Tourist Association has become a place where there are weekly activities for children and young people. They get the opportunity to do work training or experience the joys of outdoor life. The fire wood production is called “Trelauget” and involves 100 workdays a year. 25 people put in 6.625 man-hours and produce 6.000 sacks of firewood.
