“We hope they feel inspired to try it for the first time and the aim is to encourage everyone to make a difference in their community” – would-be volunteers can support EACH as part of The Big Help Out

Potential volunteers are being encouraged to spare some time and make a contribution to their community as a way of marking the King’s Coronation. The Big Help Out is a national day of volunteering and anyone interested has the chance to join the team at East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. There are various ways people can help, including lending a hand in one of the charity’s 46 shops – most of which are open on the Bank Holiday Monday of the King’s Coronation weekend (8^th May). They have a chance to book a ‘taster’ session – in the hope it whets their appetite and leads to them becoming a fully-fledged volunteer. Other ways people can get involved include donating four hours to help the fundraising team – perhaps helping at an event or with a bucket collection – or four hours to sign-up as a gardener, to help a family tidy their garden as part of EACH’s Help at Home service. These two will be in the future rather than on the Monday. Instead, people can sign-up in the build-up to the Bank Holiday. Hannah Milbourne, EACH Volunteer Services and Development Manager, said: “Volunteering features heavily as part of the King’s upcoming celebrations and what better time to get involved than over the Coronation weekend. “As an organisation, we’re thrilled to be participating in The Big Help Out. “It’s an exciting opportunity for individuals to get involved and celebrate this very special day through volunteering. “People can book a ‘taster’ session and we’d welcome anyone who’d like to join us and get involved. “We hope they feel inspired to try it for the first time and the aim is to encourage everyone to make a difference in their community.   “I’d encourage anyone to come along and help out, even if to contribute and have fun for one day. However, of course, we also hope they’ll love it and it leads to them taking the next step and joining us on a long-term basis. “We look forward to welcoming some new faces and hopefully some of them will want to stay on and join our existing team of over 1,700 fabulous volunteers.” All help is greatly appreciated and there are various roles available, to suit individual skills and interests. To find out more about any of the opportunities available, email [email protected] or contact volunteer services on 01223 205183. To book a taster session in one of the shops on 8^th May, pop in and set something up. The campaign – hopefully set to be “one of the biggest mobilisations of volunteers the country has ever seen” – launched nationally on 20^th March, with tens of thousands of people having already downloaded The Big Help Out app. Image provided by EACH