The essence of communities lies in supporting each other by helping out. The impact helping out has on a community is immeasurable as every little helps. However, volunteering has loads of positive impact on the volunteer too. 

Check out the impact volunteering can have in the infographic below and use The Great Winter Get Together's "Helping Out" toolkit for ways you can help out this winter. Whether you have an hour a week or a whole lot more to give, your efforts will have a massive impact on you and your community.

 

 

 

Helping Out Infographic:

 

In 2019, 19.4 million people volunteered across Britain. That is 36% of the UK population across all ages. 

 

The most common motivation for people to volunteer is wanting to improve things or help people (45%). Other reasons include the cause being important to them (31%) and having spare time (26%). 

 

Volunteering can be formal - where the unpaid work is through an organisation - or informal, which is unpaid work carried out by an individual such as helping out a neighbour with grocery shopping. 

 

A quality volunteer experience is inclusive, meaningful, enjoyable, flexible among other things. In addition, over two thirds of volunteers (68%) say volunteering helps them feel less isolated. 

 

Help with your Local Mutual Aid Group

If you are keen to start helping out in your community, consider joining your local mutual aid group. Together TV and award winning director Tom Martin documented the work of mutual aid groups in Barry, Cambridge, Leicester, Hoo Peninsula, Kentish Town and Worthing. Contact us on 020 3196 1562 or [email protected] to be connected to your closest Mutual Aid group.

 

The Great Winter Get Together is a campaign inspired by the Jo Cox Foundation's work to encourage people to reconnect. Helping out is the final theme of the campaign this year, and previous themes were saying thanks, reaching out, showing you care and understanding loneliness.