Some 6.5 million people volunteered during the Big Help Out yesterday in celebration of King Charles’ coronation, according to organisers of the event.
The estimate was made by conducting a poll of 1,503 adults across Great Britain between 5 to 8 May which has then been scaled up against the UK population.
According to the Together Coalition, which led the event, the poll also shows that 7.81 million people are more likely to volunteer as a result of the Big Help Out.
Organisers said people from London and the north east were more likely to participate in the Big Help Out than other regions.
Young respondents (aged 18-34) were more likely to say they wanted to volunteer than older ones, according to the poll.
The news comes after an Observer article before the event suggested its participatory levels may not be high due to the current volunteering crisis.
Plans to make Big Help Out an annual event
Organisers are now in talks to make the volunteering event an annual occurrence due to the level of public engagement.
It will be continuing the “Big Help Out push” into Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June) and Thank You Day (2 July), organisers said.
Brendan Cox, co-founder of the Together Coalition said: “The theme of the coronation has been service. Service isn’t just something the royal family do, it’s something that volunteers do every day in communities across the UK. In 10 years’ time I hope we look back on the coronation not just for the crowns and carriages, but for the impact it had on communities across the country. If it institutes a new national day dedicated to volunteering it will be a legacy fit for a king.”
Scouts: ‘We don’t want this to stop just because the coronation is over’
Matt Hyde, chief executive of the Scouts, said: “The public response to the Big Help Out has shown the huge scale of the public’s desire to help out in their local neighbourhoods. We don’t want this to stop just because the coronation is over. This has to be just the beginning”.
The Prince and Princess and Wales and their children were photographed volunteering with the Scouts in Berkshire on the day.
Catherine Johnstone, chief executive of the Royal Voluntary Service, said: “The response has been amazing and confirms that we need to continue to make it easier for members of the public to get involved.
Volunteers run our food banks, our youth clubs, our football clubs, they are the glue that binds our communities together.”
Sarah Vibert, chief executive of NCVO, commented: “This cannot just be a one-off, we now need to build on today’s momentum to keep inspiring the next generation of volunteers”.
This article has been updated on 9 May at 5:28pm to reflect new figures released by Together, the organisers of the Big Help Out.
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