The Big Help Out, a national campaign for volunteering, will lift-off on May 8th, following the Coronation Bank Holiday.

The campaign, backed by celebrities and national media profile, will inspire the public to help out in their communities, starting at Coronation Weekend and lasting through the summer.

Those inspired to get involved will be directed to the Big Help Out app, where they can quickly and easily search for a range of opportunities to suit their preferences – different causes, ways of getting involved – at times suitable for them.

Members of the public are notified of all opportunities matching their preferences. There are a number of volunteering categories which provide lots of different ways to lend a hand such as community, animal welfare, older people, health and social care, crisis and welfare, young people and children, sports, arts and culture and sustainability and environment.

The campaign’s aim is to highlight the importance and benefits of volunteering and to inspire people across the country to lend a hand and make a difference, across the summer and beyond as well as bringing communities together through celebration and community spirit.

The campaign was founded by the Shaping the Future with Volunteering Group, which includes some of the Britain’s largest volunteer-involving charities, to reach and encourage new audiences into volunteering – those who wouldn’t usually think volunteering was for them.

The Group is working in partnership with The Together Coalition to deliver The Big Help Out, supported by DCMS and the Royal Households.

The Coronation Bank Holiday on May 8th provides a natural focus point for launching the Big Help Out’s active phase, but the campaign will run through the summer.

Other big moments for volunteering across the summer include Volunteers Week (1-7 June) and Thank You Day (2 July), as well as many of the local or regional initiatives such as the Mayor of London’s Community Weekend in June.

Taken together this calendar represents something of a summer long ‘Festival of Volunteering’, with plenty of opportunities to keep volunteering in the public eye and media spotlight.

You can go here to learn more and register.