Faith leaders across the UK are encouraging people to volunteer their time for a good cause during the coronation Bank Holiday weekend.
The Big Help Out is one of the official projects of the celebrations surrounding the coronation of King Charles, and seeks to promote volunteering across the country.
Initiatives such as beach clean-ups, litter picking, sorting baby clothing donations, and community clean-ups are among the events being planned for Monday, May 8th.
The Archbishop of Wales, Most Rev Andrew John, will be leading a beach clean-up.
“I've been very struck by the amount of plastic and the amount of rubbish that's washed up on our beaches. So although there's a whole range of activities, I'm going to make a bid; your local authority will provide you with the bags and the pick-up material that you need.
“So long as people do the obvious things like a risk assessment, it's a great way of having a big impact because our environment is one of the key issues that we face at the moment,” Archbishop Andrew told Premier Christian News.
Earlier this month, the Archbishop of Canterbury, together with other faith leaders, visited The Passage homelessness charity in London to sort clothing donations and help serve up mushroom soup, a roast chicken lunch, and vegetable pie for people in need.
At the time, Most Rev Justin Welby said: “The whole theme of the coronation is service. It is looking back on our traditions; it’s looking at where we are as a country today, and it’s looking forward and building hope for the future.
“Twelve million people volunteered during Covid, and it is still a much higher number than it has been historically.
“I would say to people, give it a go on one day, I think you’ll find you get addicted to volunteering and serving, and that is going to make this country much better.”
The initiative is also encouraging people to check in on elderly neighbors and those who may be feeling a little lonely or isolated during that weekend.
Archbishop Andrew concluded: “I'd encourage people to see this as a way in which they can make a difference to their communities; they can be stakeholders, they can actually make a difference where they are.
“So not to think of this as just a bit of doing good for the sake of doing good or stiff upper lip…get everyone together, get everyone involved, and it'll be fun as well as beneficial for other people.”