How to volunteer for the Coronation of King Charles III

(L to R) Venerable Ajahn Amaro, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Julie Siddiqi serve food as they join other faith leaders in taking part in the Big Help Out (Picture: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

Ready to do something good?

Brits are being encouraged to take up hundreds of thousands of volunteering opportunities linked to coronation celebrations. The hope is this collective effort will help tell the UK’s ‘national story’.

Celebrity names such as Love Island’s Faye Winter and Dragons’ Den’s Deborah Meaden are promoting The Big Help Out, with more than 1,500 charities involved.

Help is especially needed on the May 8 bank holiday, happening in the wake of King Charles III’s coronation which took place on May 6.

When is The Big Help Out taking place?

With the coronation ceremony having been watched by millions on May 6, the celebrations continue across the weekend culminating in the day of volunteering on Monday May 8.

Thousands of events are expected to take place across the country, including a celebration of the UK’s ‘friendliest’ street.

The Monday will be a special bank holiday and has been set aside for The Big Help Out in a tribute to the King’s lifetime of public service.

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Buckingham Palace said the day ‘will encourage people to try volunteering for themselves and join the work being undertaken to support their local areas’.

Volunteering will be used to bring communities together for the coronation weekend and beyond.

How to find volunteering opportunities?

All of the available volunteering opportunities can be found via The Big Help Out website or the app, which is free to use.

Charity organisations can create accounts and volunteers can apply to them directly through the app.

New opportunities offered to members of the public via The Big Help Out app include options to help the elderly, the environment, support animal welfare and work within local communities.

The app can be searched by postcode, the type of activity needed or the organisations involved.

What is the aim of The Big Help Out?

The project aims to raise awareness of volunteering opportunities throughout the UK and was set up by charities including the Scouts, the Royal Voluntary Service and Guide Dogs.

Paraolympian Ellie Simmonds is involved in the volunteering efforts (Pciture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for The National Lottery)

The minister for ceremonial events, Stuart Andrew, said: ‘The Big Help Out will shine a spotlight on the power of volunteering to help our communities. It is a tribute to His Majesty the King’s lifetime of public service and a wonderful way to begin this new age.

‘I encourage everyone to get involved to celebrate the coronation of Their Majesties the King and the Queen Consort.’

Paralympian swimming gold medallist Ellie Simmonds, who is a volunteer and ambassador for the Scouts, said: ‘Volunteering is central to our national story – from families taking in refugees from Ukraine to volunteers running Scout groups and even just people looking in on a neighbour when times are tough.

‘Today, we’re launching The Big Help Out app – it’s your one stop shop for hundreds of thousands of volunteering opportunities across the country.’

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Brits are being encouraged to take up hundreds of thousands of community opportunities.