Our thinking

A helping hand

4 April, 2020

We’re staying inside to stay safe and protect others, but an exception is made for volunteering. So if you want to find ways to do your bit for society, here are some volunteering ideas for helping those in need right now.

To help in your local area, COVID Mutual Aid is a great resource to find out what you can do near you, and if you’re concerned about how older people who are self-isolating are coping, onHand is a great way to help.

If you’re healthy, between 18-55 years-old and want to help beat this thing sooner, you might consider volunteering for vaccine trials with Oxford University. In-keeping with the medical theme, blood donations have dropped dramatically during the crisis, meaning that demand is struggling to be met for people who need blood. With additional safety measures having been put in place at donation centres, why not give blood?

If you’re unable to leave the house and are going stir-crazy, you might want to document your experience to contribute to One Strange Time – an upcoming documentary spin-off of One Strange Rock – that will feature a variety of people’s experiences of the current lock-down. Virtual volunteering is also possible with The Mix, which is the only fully-digital help service for young people in the UK, which is being sign-posted to by all the other youth charities right now and is desperate for more support.

The most obvious ways, of course, are volunteering for the NHS or a local food bank – many of which are in real need of additional volunteers and supplies. But in whatever way you can help, stay safe and stay well!