The Archbishop of Canterbury spent his day volunteering with other faith leaders ahead of King Charles III’s coronation, encouraging others to take part in the Big Help Out.
The Right Honourable Justin Welby helped out at The Passage in London, a charity that supports the homeless population, and one that is supported by the Prince of Wales.
Alongside him were faith leaders from the Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim communities, and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis.
“The whole theme of the coronation is service,” Welby told reporters. “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.”
The Archbishop added that he hoped that by volunteering during the Big Help Out that it would help people see the value in supporting their community. “I think you’ll find you get addicted to volunteering and serving, and that is going to make this country much better.”
Rabbi Mirvis said that his hope for the Big Help Out “is that there will be additional interest in volunteering and selflessness that will inspire people to do good for others.”
Heather Farwell, who works for The Passage, said, “It has been lovely to see so many different faith groups here today. They were great, really friendly and got stuck in straight away. The Big Help Out is a great initiative and I hope it will inspire more people to get involved in volunteering.”
The Big Help Out is one of the final elements of the Coronation weekend. Its aim is to encourage people across the UK to volunteer in their local communities and find causes that interest them.
It is planned for active participation on 8 May to complete the celebrations.
The Big Help Out is a campaign by the Shaping the Future with Volunteering Group, which, in turn, is supported by organisations like AgeUK, the British Red Cross, Girl Guiding, the National Trust, the Royal Voluntary Service, the Sea Cadets, the Scouts, St John Ambulance, and Volunteering Matters, among others. A full list of member organisations can be found here.
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