Manchester volunteers needed to help through COVID winter crisis

Manchester communities are being encouraged to step up in the city’s hour of need, as pressures on the NHS increase throughout this testing winter.

With the country back in lockdown, Royal Voluntary Service is today calling on people in Manchester to volunteer for an hour per week or more, to help see their local community through the difficult winter ahead.

The charity’s Hour of Need campaign, which is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, is calling for a repeat of the groundswell of generosity and positivity it saw back in March when people stepped forward to volunteer, to help see the NHS and the most vulnerable people through lockdown safely.

There are a variety of roles available, from helping vulnerable people recover after a hospital stay and transporting them to or from hospital to supporting as an NHS Volunteer Responder with shopping, friendly phone calls or stewarding at vaccination centres.

The call for volunteers comes on the back of research finding that more than 4.9 million over 50s, many with health conditions and without family nearby, say they would benefit from volunteer help this winter.

In Manchester, research revealed that 46% of people are concerned about the lack of support their friends or family will have access to throughout winter.

Royal Voluntary Service is one of Britain’s largest volunteering charities, with volunteers supporting the NHS and thousands of vulnerable people in the community.

During the crisis, the charity has delivered the NHS Volunteer Responders programme for NHS England enabled by the GoodSAM app with 360,000 active volunteers responding to over 1.3 million requests for support so far.

The charity has also worked in local communities through the crisis running home libraries, companionship support, home from hospital services and patient transport. 

“It’s already been an incredibly tough year for both our clients and the NHS, and the new lockdown presents even more challenges,” said Jennifer Scott from Royal Voluntary Service in Manchester.

“The truth is that the more volunteers we have on board, the faster our communities will recover.

“If you can spare even just an hour a week you’ll be doing an amazing thing for Manchester”.

You can explore a range of volunteering opportunities by visiting the Hour of Need campaign on the Royal Voluntary Service website.