Urgent call for community volunteers in Leeds

The charity’s ‘Hour of Need’ campaign urges people to donate their time to support local NHS and people in need during lockdown and the pandemic.

It calls for a repeat of the groundswell of generosity seen back in March when people stepped forward to volunteer to help in droves.

The call for volunteers comes on the back of research showing that more than 4.9 million over 50s, many with health conditions and without family nearby, say they would benefit from volunteer help this winter.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, almost a third of people are concerned about the lack of support their friends or family will have access to for the rest of winter.

Requests for help from vulnerable people and the NHS are building rapidly, and volunteers are needed in Leeds and York to support valuable services, whether on a flexible or regular basis.

This might mean helping vulnerable people recover after a hospital stay and transporting them to or from hospital, serving refreshments to NHS staff and patients in a retail estate, or being an NHS volunteer responder with shopping, friendly phone calls or stewarding at vaccination centres.

Jennifer Scott, commissioned service operations manager for RVS in Leeds and York said: “The truth is that the more volunteers we have on board, the faster our communities will recover.

"If you can spare even just an hour a week you’ll be doing an amazing thing for your community.”