6.5mn took part in Big Help Out, poll shows
Melanie May | 25 June 2024 | News
Six and a half million people took part in this years’ Big Help Out, according to a new poll published today, with young people the largest age group to join in.
This is the second annual Big Help Out following its launch to celebrate the King and Queen’s Coronation in 2023.
The event saw charities including the Scouts, RVS, RSCPA and St John’s Ambulance host opportunities in every corner of the UK across the weekend of 7-9 June. The 6.5mn volunteers were also joined by political leaders, television stars and celebrities, including Kier Starmer, Rishi Sunak, Ed Davey, Anneka Rice, Levi Roots, and Rachel Riley.
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Anneka Rice helped with Hand on Heart’s Big Help Out Homeless Challenge, assembling 1000 essential packs for the homeless, distributed over 3 days at 15 locations. Levi Roots led the official launch of Youth First’s Volunteer Program and “Friends of Youth First” initiative, and Rachel Riley joined an England Netball session in West London.
Majority of participants more likely to volunteer again
A survey of just over 2,000 people carried out by Walnut Omnibus found that 79% of those who took part said they were much more likely to volunteer. 74% of participants agreed that the Big Help Out made them speak to their neighbours and 76% said that the event made them feel a stronger sense of belonging in their community.
78% of participants also said the Big Help Out made it easier to meet new people, while 79% met someone from a different background to themselves.
4 in 10 said they would be likely to participate in the future, while 6 in 10 young people between the ages of 18 – 34 said they would be likely to take part.
Big businesses help out
Large companies involved in The Big Help Out included household brands ASDA, BT, Compare the Market, DPD, Microsoft, PwC, Google, Coventry Building Society and HSBC.
They were also able to access an app with over 1 million volunteering opportunities populated by thousands of charities.
- Asda was joined by England star Gary Lineker to promote the need for more sport volunteers and held over 350 litter picks at grassroots groups across the UK through its networks of 390 Community Champions.
- Compare the Market staff undertook ‘50 Magical Meerkat Moments’, including everything from cooked meals for children at Acorn House in Peterborough, volunteering at Brixton Soup Kitchen and Hackney Foodbank, painting and repairing Bourne Lido Pool, supporting young people with financial education, improving gardens at a youth counselling services, staffing charity shops, helping at a city farm, helping maintain community gardens and transform four bathtubs into mini gardens (donated to schools).
- DPD staff at depots across the UK were involved in activities including supporting food banks, children’s hospices, litter picking, canal and beach cleanup events, volunteering at a zoo, tree planting, and animal welfare.
- BT Group has been promoting a #ProudToVolunteer campaign supporting their 100 000 employees to volunteer with existing programmes, partners and take advantage of the million plus opportunities on The Big Help Out app.
Catherine Johnstone CBE, CEO of Royal Voluntary Service and Co-Founder of The Big Help Out, said:
“The Big Help Out was created to enable anyone from any community to find a volunteering opportunity that inspires them to ‘have a go’. It’s thrilling to see so many different charities and groups across the UK sparking such high levels of interest in volunteering. It’s been a wonderful weekend of social action and valuable new community connections being made, For many people it’s also the start of a longer-term volunteering habit which will enrich their lives for years to come.”
The Big Help Out campaign is a partnership with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, and Shaping the Future with Volunteering, a coalition of 30 leading charities chaired by The Scouts and the Royal Voluntary Service.
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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.