England Netball is supporting the Big Help Out – the UK’s biggest-ever mass volunteering event – as it returns from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 June 2024.
In 2023, more than 7 million people took part in the Big Help Out during the King’s Coronation weekend – lending a hand and making a difference in their local communities.
The objective of The Big Help Out is to raise awareness of volunteering throughout the UK and provide opportunities for people to experience volunteering whatever they are interested from sports clubs to litter picks to helping vulnerable groups in their area.
As well as providing much-needed support, volunteering also enables people to gain valuable new skills, confidence, experiences and friends.
73% of volunteers say that getting involved gives them more confidence, according to research by the NCVO.
Using The Big Help Out app and website, organisations can showcase a variety of opportunities, which are easily searchable by location and interest, from one-off events to informal volunteering projects and informative ‘taster’ sessions aimed at fostering long-term engagement.
It’s not just about getting people to volunteer for a day, it’s about inspiring a new generation of people to get involved in volunteering!
Geva Mentor recently teamed up with Gary Lineker for a youth sports day featuring netball and football at Connect Stars, a London-based community group, to help promote The Big Help Out initiative and encourage people to volunteer.
Do you have a spare five minutes? We’ve added some simple NETBALLHer actions to the app to keep driving awareness of our industry-leading initiative and to continue normalising conversations on topics about the female body.
England Netball Head of Volunteering Imogen Greatbatch said: “We recognise that volunteer motivations and trends are changing, particularly since COVID-19.
“With small pockets flourishing, backing a campaign like The Big Help Out will enable us to position netball related actions and opportunities in front of people who may be curious about volunteering but might not necessarily have considered netball, particularly through the lens of how they can support female health on and beyond the court through our NETBALLHer resources.
“Utilising this platform will help local netball organisations reach and attract new audiences to share their skills and expertise, and help us test the appetite for more informal one-off opportunities, as well as build curiosity about ways in which they can support local netball organisations to continue to grow the number of people that can play and enjoy netball.”
For any clubs, leagues, regions and counties, the app can also support in recruiting volunteers for the summer season and beyond. You simply have to register by making an account and start uploading your opportunities.
