Over the coming weeks Sport for Development Coalition members across the UK will be contributing to ‘The Big Help Out’ – a unique initiative which forms a part of the King’s Coronation.
Starting on Monday 8th May, it represents a chance for everybody to experience volunteering in their local area. Since volunteers play a vital role in many sport for development projects and programmes, the Coalition has pledged its full support for the initiative.
Thousands of organisations – from the biggest to the smallest and most local – have been registering opportunities at thebighelpout.org.uk where the app will link you up which what’s happening near you, or in a category of volunteering that interests you most. Organisations with volunteering opportunities, or who would like to take part in the day should visit the website to find out how to take part, register opportunities, and show their support.
Our collective ambition is to achieve the biggest mobilisation and recruitment of volunteers in recent history in communities across the UK, and celebrate the personal and community benefits of volunteering. It’s not just about one day of activity - we want people to take up lasting and meaningful volunteer opportunities.
In England alone, each month over 13 million adults get together to participate in sport and activity and almost half of us will be part of a sporting event in a typical year. Yet despite the mass appeal of sport, about 70% of the UK’s sport and recreation clubs say they are short of the volunteers they need to thrive or in some cases, survive.
Coalition partners including Sport England, Premiership Rugby and parkrun are coming together to tell the story of the transformative power of community sport and invite thousands more to be part of this special experience. Together we want to inspire a new generation of volunteers to take up opportunities in grassroots sport and activity and strengthen the links between grassroots sport groups and their neighbourhoods, celebrating those that make this country’s vibrant sporting life possible and powerful.
In the weeks building up to May 8th, we are calling on Coalition members to:
- Upload any volunteering opportunities to the Big Help Out app, ready for a possible influx of new users looking for sport and activity opportunities.
- Profile some prominent volunteers on social media or your newsletters, using their story to inspire others to engage with the Big Help Out app.
- Encourage your members to celebrate the theme of the Big Help Out in any activities you have, for example giving a shout-out to volunteers during the delivery of your project and programmes, or during activities.
- Support the social media campaign from April 22nd. We already have a Partner Pack prepared to help you produce copy and content.
