Organisations in need of volunteers invited to take part in 2024 edition of The Big Help Out
Melanie May | 30 January 2024 | News
The 2024 edition of The Big Help Out launches today, supported by King Charles and back this June as a three-day event.
This year, The Big Help Out will take place over three days from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 June 2024, at the climax of Volunteers’ Week. It includes a weekday to give schools and workplaces the chance to get involved, and organisers are also calling on old and new volunteers to lend a hand to causes in their local area. This was announced back in November.
This year’s Big Help Out will also have a particular focus on providing opportunities for young people to get involved, with recent polling by Walnut finding that nearly one in two 18-24 year olds want to volunteer but are unable to find ways to get involved.
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Register your volunteering opportunities
Organisations are now being invited to register their volunteering opportunities on the new and updated Big Help Out Platformaid, while the public are invited to save the date and pledge a day of their time to volunteer.
Supporting the Big Help Out, His Majesty the King, King Charles III said,
“I am delighted to support the return of the Big Help Out in 2024. This Summer, between June 7th and June 9th, there will be another opportunity to join so many dedicated volunteers in giving time to a worthy cause of their choosing, whether that is supporting a local food bank, tending a community garden, spending time with a vulnerable person or teaching a skill to young people. Whoever and wherever you are, each of us will have a chance to play a small part in helping transform our communities for the benefit of all.
“This year, the Big Help Out is particularly keen to invite schools and businesses to be a part of this special moment. Young people’s energy and enthusiasm can be enormously valuable, and business is a vital part of the fabric of both our local communities and of our wider society.
“So, if you are able, I can only encourage you to support the Big Help Out once more, thereby helping to build the kinder, closer communities of which we can all be so proud.”
As in 2024, volunteering opportunities are searchable by location and interest and will once again be available on The Big Help Out app.
Last year, there were more than 50,000 events across the country as part of the Big Help Out. They Included a huge Scouts taster day at Wembley Stadium, almost 500 people joining a royal clean up on the Solent, record breaking numbers signing up to support mental health charity Black Dog, nationwide hedge life surveys, and a volunteer-run dog show in Macclesfield.
Events already planned by businesses, charities, schools and clubs for this year include:
- FareShare and the Felix Project, leaders of the Coronation Food Project, will be driving volunteers to their new coronation food hubs – opening later this year.
- Age UK will be offering a variety of accessible ways to get involved, including virtual Telephone Friendship taster sessions, trial volunteering in charity shops and community-based activities and support for older people in need.
- Thousands of students across the country will be lending a hand with their local school, supported by Votes for Schools, Guide Dogs UK, #IWill and Bookmark Reading.
- Sport England will be encouraging local clubs to open their doors and host taster days.
- Asda community champions will be leading litter picks from hundreds of their stores across the UK as well as supporting their local grassroots and charities with volunteer opportunities.
Catherine Johnstone CBE, Chief Executive of Royal Voluntary Service and co-founder of The Big Help Out said:
“Recent research has identified the British public have a strong appetite to volunteer and play their part in their communities. They want to get stuck in and just need some of the barriers removed. That’s why The Big Help Out can be a real game-changer. The campaign catapults volunteering up peoples to- do lists, gives them a perfect bite-sized opportunity to try locally and with all the appeal of being part of a shared national celebration.”
Sarah Vibert, CEO of the NCVO, said:
“Every Volunteers Week we celebrate the vital contribution made by people across the country who give their time to help others. Many of us rely on charities for support or to enhance our lives and communities. This simply wouldn’t be possible without our amazing volunteers.
“As we mark the 40th Volunteers Week we’ll also be encouraging people to get involved in volunteering through the Big Help Out. Volunteers Week is a great time to host the Big Help Out this year – many people will be hearing about the positive impact of volunteering and want to try it out themselves.
“We know that encouraging more people to volunteer is a top priority for charities right now. It’s a challenging time for communities across the country and the need for the life changing work that volunteers carry out has rarely been greater.
“If you’re an organisation that wants to recruit more volunteers, then please get involved in this year’s Big Help Out – it’s a great way to promote your amazing work and the positive impact volunteering makes to local communities. Save the date and get ready for the Big Help Out 2024 on Friday 7 June and Saturday 8 June.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.