Brits are being urged to spend a day volunteering in their local community as part of celebrations for King Charles III's Coronation.
Adventurer Bear Grylls is launching the Big Help Out in conjunction with a number of national charities, in tribute to the King's dedication to public service.
Brits will get an extra Bank Holiday on Monday May 8th as part of a three-day coronation weekend, after Charles is officially crowned on May 6.
The volunteer day on the bank holiday Monday would happen in conjunction with charities including the Royal Voluntary Service, the Scouts, NCVO, Rotary, and the National Trust.
Launching the Big Help Out, Chief Scout, Bear Grylls said volunteering had long been a central aspect of British life - from families looking after evacuees during WW2 to neighbours looking out for each other during the pandemic.
“But it’s not just in times of crisis that we step up," he added.
"Volunteering - whether formal or informal - is what powers our communities from Scout leaders to football coaches, collecting the shopping for an elderly neighbour to helping out at the school fete."
Grylls said the Big Help Out would offer people who wanted to volunteer, easy ways to join in.
“We are delighted to be a central part of the Coronation weekend, particularly given The King and The Queen Consort’s long history of support for volunteering," he said.
The palace said in tribute to the King's public service, the big help out "will encourage people to try volunteering for themselves and join the work being undertaken to support their local areas".
A statement on royal.uk says: "In tribute to His Majesty The King's public service, The Big Help Out will encourage people to try volunteering for themselves and join the work being undertaken to support their local areas. The aim of The Big Help Out is to use volunteering to bring communities together and create a lasting volunteering legacy from the Coronation Weekend."
The charities behind the Big Help Out on Friday said they hoped the day would prompt an "unprecedented community mobilisation" and inspire a new generation of volunteers.
As well as encouraging people to take part in volunteer "taster sessions", the day aimed to encourage people into longer-term volunteering opportunities.
Atul Khetarpal, a Community Response Volunteer with the Royal Voluntary Service, said his work as a Steward Volunteer through the Covid pandemic had been a rewarding experience that had seen him meet some "brilliant people".
"I know so many other people would volunteer if they knew how and I hope the Big Help Out will show people how easy and rewarding it is," he said.
Catherine Johnstone CBE, CEO of Royal Voluntary Service said it was a "wonderful opportunity" for people to come together.
"Whether it’s your first time, or you are an experienced volunteer, The Big Help Out will make it easy to get involved in something that matches your interests and fires your imagination," she said.
"I hope it inspires many thousands of people to explore what volunteering has to offer them and their communities. Royal Voluntary Service is delighted to be part of this exciting initiative.”
Scouts CEO Matt Hyde, who was co-chair of the Big Help Steering Group, said Scouts was proud to be leading the work with a coalition of volunteer involving charities.
They hoped to recruit more volunteers, learn new skills and "have a bit of fun along the way", he said.
With millions of Brits struggling to make ends meet during a cruel cost of living crisis, it expected that the royals will scale back Charles' coronation in comparison to his mother's in 1953, with fewer guests anticipated this time around.
Nevertheless hundreds of dignitaries from around the world are expected to pack into Westminster Abbey, as they did for the Queen's funeral in September, while huge crowds line the streets.
According to the palace it will be "a solemn religious service, as well as an occasion for celebration and pageantry".
It claims that the coronation will "reflect the monarch's role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry".
Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said the coronation is "a huge milestone in the history of the UK and Commonwealth", adding that the weekend of events will bring people together to celebrate "the mixture of tradition and modernity, culture and community that makes our country great".
