Why 8,000 coronavirus volunteers in Leeds deserve our praise - the YEP says

More than 12,500 people have been helped by the incredible volunteering efforts over the past three months.

And since the beginning of lockdown, more than 8,000 people across the city have joined the volunteer army to support those who need help the most.

Hundreds of prescriptions have been collected, thousands of food parcels have been distributed and countless welfare calls have been made.

It has been hailed as a “resounding celebration of community spirit” in response to the pandemic.

It is a credit to coordinators Voluntary Action Leeds that they now want to set up a post-Covid volunteering platform to build on the work done so far.

But last week there was a warning that third sector organisations fear for their future in the face of rising demands for their services and the financial impact of lockdown.

We need to find a way to harness that community spirit to ensure that we can continue to build on this effort for the future.