Five million Brits volunteered for charity for first time during pandemic, study finds
An upside to the pandemic is that more people are helping others by offering their time or donations to worthy causes
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Your support makes all the difference.Coronavirus appears to have brought out the good in people, with a new study estimating that five million UK residents signed up to be charity volunteers during the pandemic.
The Remember A Charity poll of 2,000 people, found that one in 10 adults in the UK (around 10 per cent) offered their time to a charitable organisation during the pandemic, for the first time in their lives.
The recent study found that more than 50 per cent of people had been self-reflective during the pandemic and had realised the importance of community.
The survey also showed people had a greater intent to help; it found two out of 10 British adults (21 per cent) had got in touch with organisations and groups to show their interest in working for a charitable cause since Covid-19 hit the UK.
Despite the nation having financial difficulties, the survey found that during the pandemic, 14 per cent of Brits had given more money to worthy causes than they usually would.
More than half of the people surveyed had maintained the amount they donated to charity, offering the same before and after the pandemic began.
People’s charitable endeavours have ranged from shopping for local vulnerable people to making PPE and facemasks, to volunteering for the NHS. More than 560,000 signed up to join the NHS’ army of volunteers in March, at the start of the pandemic.
Some individual charitable efforts have garnered more attention than others during the crisis.
The nation celebrated as war veteran Captain Tom Moore, who turned 100 in April, set out to raise £1000 for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden.
His effort was reported in the media and shared on social media platforms and captured the imagination of the British public. Captain Tom ended up raising more than £32 million for the NHS and received a knighthood.
Charitable offerings have come from all areas of the UK, 10-year-old Max Woosey has been sleeping in a tent since March, to raise money for North Devon Hospice.
He hopes to last a year outdoors, initially hoping to raise £100, now he’s planning to raise as much money as possible, he’s already made £88,000 for the hospice.
Remember A Charity is a consortium of charities working to encourage more people to consider leaving a gift to charity in their Will, after taking care of friends and family first. To find out more, please visit www.rememberacharity.org.uk
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