A WEST Devon man is going the extra mile this summer, by volunteering at the London 2012 Olympics.

Haydn Cragg, 19, was one of 70,000 chosen from more than 250,000 applicants to be a games maker at this summer's tournament.

Haydn, from Princetown, is currently a first year student at the University of Northumbria, and said he just could not say no when the opportunity arose: 'I had to do it. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. You don't just see people walking down the street saying "I'm a games maker!".

'Everyone in the world will be watching the Olympics and it will be amazing to say that I was a part of that.'

Haydn will be helping out at a number of events but will mainly be stationed at Newcastle United's ground.

'They want me to do ten days as a radio distribution manager. I'm currently in the Navy doing a job where technology is something I work with frequently and I used to be a radio producer, so when I applied, I thought this would be the best role for me.'

Haydn is no stranger to volunteering work. He spent two years as a radio producer and three years working for the Army Welfare Service in Germany.

And the good work does not stop there as he then plans to complete the BUPA Great Birmingham run in October to raise money for the RNLI.

He said: 'I've always wanted to push myself to do something like this. Something I could achieve personally. I was half-heartedly considering it, but then my friend who did it last year egged me on.

'I'm not really into running. I keep fit and when I'm at navy training there are quite a few tests, but nothing as physically demanding as a thirteen-mile run!

'When I decided I wanted to do this, I knew it had to be for charity. I saw that all of the military charities like Help4Heroes and the Army Benevolence Fund had a lot of people donating to them in the last year and were doing really well so I wanted to do something a little different.'

Haydn, who is being sponsored at University by the Navy, said the RNLI seemed like the best choice.

'Because I'm part of the Navy, it made complete sense to choose the RNLI. They do amazing work and save lots of lives every day.'

Dave Nicoll, RNLI area fundraising manager, said: 'It's thanks to committed supporters like Hayden who go out of their way to raise money for us that we can provide our lifesaving service and I thank him for literally putting his best foot forward to run a half marathon in support of the RNLI.'

Donations can be made to Haydn's efforts either online at http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/HaydnCragg">www.virginmoneygiving.com/HaydnCragg or by texting 'RNLI' followed by the amount you wish to donate to 70070.