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Archbishop leads group asking party leaders to volunteer as part of Big Help Out

Melanie May | 7 June 2024 | News

A hand in a yellow glove reaches for an empty plastic bottle lying on some grass. By Anna Shvets on Pexels

A group of more than 50 charity, business, community and religious leaders led by the Archbishop of Canterbury are calling on party leaders to do some volunteering this weekend, as part of the Big Help Out.

The signatories are asking politicians to lead by example and take an hour out of their campaign to take part in community volunteering.

Some 6.8mn people are expected to volunteer over the weekend as part of the Big Help Out,

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Brendan Cox, who co-founded the Together Coalition with the Archbishop said,

“We’re calling on all party leaders to take off their rosettes and get off their soapboxes for an hour this weekend and take part in community volunteering as part of the Big Help Out. We’re expecting millions of people to take part and politicians can help lead by example. Volunteers are what hold our country together – from food banks to football clubs – and this weekend we hope they can take centre stage.”

Among the signatories of the letter are RSPB, the Scouts, RVS, Girl Guides, the Ramblers, businesses such as the CBI, Federation of Small Business and DPD, academics, and faith and community leaders, including the Archbishop, Iman Qari Asim and Maurice Ostro.

In the letter, leaders are also asked to take the opportunity to “set out your own vision for how you will build stronger, kinder and better connected communities, and to set out your agenda for bridging divides and bringing people together.”

More than a million opportunities to help out

There are now more than a million opportunities to volunteer available through the Big Help Out app, as well as other ways to get involved through the website and Big Help Out’s partners.

Figures from the latest NCVO Time Well Spent report show that volunteering is still 30% lower than it was before the pandemic.

Events already planned for the weekend include:

Sarah Vibert, Chief Executive at NCVO, said:

“Volunteers are a vital part of our society, and initiatives like the Big Help Out are a great way to encourage more people to try volunteering. Now more than ever, we need to do all we can to show people the amazing impact that volunteering can have – not only for the charity, but for the volunteer too.”

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