Senior royals to join The Big Help Out
Senior members of the royal family are expected to join members of the public in volunteering at The Big Help Out in May.
Senior members of the royal family are expected to take part in The Big Help Out.
The day of volunteering will form part of King Charles' coronation celebrations in May in tribute to the monarch's decades of public life and passion to create lasting change, and some of the king's relatives are expected to join in with various projects being organised for 8 May.
Among those likely to join in are the Prince and Princess of Wales, with William and his wife Catherine said to consider the initiative a "fantastic" idea, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reports.
Adventurer and Chief Scout Bear Grylls is launching The Big Help Out on Friday (27.01.23) and said he hopes the event will inspire a new generation of people by showing ways they can help others.
He said: “Volunteering has always been a huge part of what makes this country great — from families looking after evacuees during WWII to neighbours looking out for each other during the pandemic. But it’s not just in times of crisis that we step up.
“Volunteering — whether formal or informal — is what powers our communities from scout leaders to football coaches, collecting the shopping for an elderly neighbour to helping out at the school fete.
“The Big Help Out will put volunteering centre stage for a day and give people who want to volunteer easy ways to join in.
“We are delighted to be a central part of the Coronation weekend, particularly given the King and the Queen Consort’s long history of support for volunteering.”
The launch will see the charities behind the event set out three core parts of the initiative, including a public awareness campaign to highlight the benefits of volunteering.
The public will be asked to take part in a local volunteering event which will be advertised in the lead up to the bank holiday, but if there isn't one happening, they are encouraged to start their own scheme, such as litter picking or a coffee morning.
Catherine Johnstone, chief executive of the Royal Voluntary Service, said: “I hope it inspires many thousands of people to explore what volunteering has to offer them and their communities.”
Brendan Cox, co-founder of the Together Coalition, added: “How we mark the coronation will reflect the kind of country we are. Along with the pageantry and parties, we hope an opportunity to volunteer will leave a long-lasting legacy in communities right around the country.”
