Have you ever wondered what would happen if you lost everything you owned in a house fire or flood? Imagine the scenario: your family are safe, but your children are cold and miserable, and your nearest relative lives miles away. It’s during these first few hours that you need help the most. This is the time when volunteers from the British Red Cross come into their own, arriving promptly at the scene and providing practical and emotional support.
That is just one example of the work of the British Red Cross, a charity that provides relief to people in crisis across the UK. Its lifeblood is the 35,000 volunteers who give their time to assist at emergencies, major incidents and traffic accidents, and to support the most vulnerable people in society.
With offices nationwide, including in locations across the South West Trains network—Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, London, Surrey and Wiltshire—volunteers are on hand where needed. All are specially trained in particular skills. Some use their expertise to help people back into a normal routine after a stay in hospital, by providing home care or transport assistance. Others have first-aid training or can offer counselling to those going through a crisis. Asylum seekers and refugees are also major beneficiaries, with Red Cross workers helping them adjust to life in a new country by, for example, advising them about accessing local services or guiding them towards peer-befriending support. Volunteers also assist those unfortunate enough to have been separated from their family by conflict and disaster to make contact with missing relatives.
Donna Taylor, Services Manager, heads a team of around 350 volunteers in Hampshire, from her office in Winchester. “Our workers do everything from assisting refugees to offering therapeutic care and fire-service support. Everyone knows about the Red Cross’s work overseas, but many people don’t realise the huge contribution we make at a local level in the UK.”
Despite the charity’s wide-ranging work, it is its contribution during major disasters that usually grabs the headlines. Its volunteers played a key role in the rescue operation following the series of bomb attacks in London on 7 July this year. As well as sending ambulances to the scenes of the explosions, volunteers from across the South provided first aid and comfort to victims, and staffed a family-assistance centre and the telephone support line for survivors and the bereaved.
The British Red Cross depends on volunteers to continue providing essential services. If you are looking for a rewarding challenge, why not consider offering your time? “We’re always looking for volunteers,” says Donna Taylor. “It doesn’t matter what skills you have, because we can train you.”
For details of how you can join the Red Cross in your local area, visit the volunteering section of www.redcross.org.uk. Alternatively, contact the British Red Cross, 44 Moorfields, London EC2Y 9AL; telephone 0870 170 7000. To make a donation, visit the donations area of the website at www.redcross.org.uk or telephone 0870 170 7999
