Displaying items by tag: volunteers

A Kentish dog trainer, a Cornish farmer, and a Sussex executive are helping the elderly and frail to evacuate from dangerous areas in Ukraine. They fund themselves. ‘I know my parents worry’, said the dog trainer, ‘but they are proud of what I do.’ She has done a trauma first aid course, and is learning on the job. They travel to communities in the path of Russian forces. Shelling is a constant threat. Pray for God’s protection and strength to all who are helping the helpless in Ukraine. In April Russians captured Aiden and Shaun, Britons serving with Ukraine’s military. Russia’s foreign ministry said, ‘Don't worry, Russia is taking care of them’. Then on 9 June a court (not internationally recognised) in an area held by pro-Russian separatists sentenced them to death on the charge of being mercenaries. The men insist they have been in Ukraine since 2018, serving with Ukraine's military and entitled to prisoner-of-war protection. A Moroccan national was also condemned.

ECM UK is an international, interdenominational mission agency whose ministry primarily focuses on planting churches in areas of Europe where there is little or no evangelical presence. They work in over twenty countries, planting churches, training people in leadership development and managing social care ministries. Nearly all ECM missionaries are volunteers, raising their own financial support and prayer cover. ECM also has partners in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, France, Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands, all reaching out to unreached Europeans. See

Families in rural England are totally dependent on volunteers delivering food during the coronavirus crisis. Many households face long journeys to buy food - more difficult if they are self-isolating. Catherine Boyes’ son has cystic fibrosis and she is shielding him by staying home. She says, ‘Without these deliveries my children would starve.’ The mother of six, living on a farm on the edge of the North York moors, struggled to get a regular delivery from a supermarket due to surging demand and is reliant on the Pickering Help Network to deliver supplies. Pauline Hewitt, delivering food, said, ‘There is a real sense of fear and panic among some people about how they are going to get their shopping in an area like this. We have spent a lot of time reassuring people that whatever happens, we will deliver a weekly supply of food.’

The Queen said ‘We salute you’, after 405,000 individuals stepped up to support the NHS just two hours after the government made an appeal for helpers to deliver medicines to the vulnerable and do shopping. Boris Johnson said the number of volunteers was equivalent to the population of Coventry. Meanwhile people are finding new ways of being together while apart. Isolated elderly are becoming adept at meeting friends, neighbours, and prayer groups by Skype, Zoom and Messenger. There are wonderful examples of acts of kindness, generosity, and compassion that demonstrate the underlying unity that humans feel for each other. We can pray according to Psalm 5:11 that God’s protection will spread over all who are currently volunteering and showing unity and kindness.

Apulstock is a safe music festival in Sussex, for people with special needs. It is organised and run by volunteers whose sole aim is to inspire and entertain people who don’t have the opportunities or support to attend the larger annual music festivals. Apulstock is a mixture of music and dance slots led by professional rap, rock and roll, and alternative musicians plus lots of fun bands encouraging audience participation in Zumba fitness and funky dance routines. Every week, across the country, there is an army of volunteers using their talents to touch the lives of the hidden 2% in our communities. They deliver special church services, discos, karaoke, sports, arts and crafts, gardening, etc to develop people’s individual strengths and support them to overcome their weaknesses.

Special Olympics GB provides year-round, all-ability, sports programmes for over 10,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities. Each year across England, Scotland and Wales, approximately 27,000 regular sports coaching sessions of at least one hour are delivered across 28 different sports. This coaching leads to an annual average of 100 all-ability, inclusive sports competitions. There are four levels of competition events within Special Olympics; local, regional, national and international. By entering competitions at one level, athletes earn the right to be considered for higher levels. From 14 to 21 March a team representing Special Olympics Great Britain will compete in the 2019 World Games in Abu Dhabi. Please pray and ask God to keep them safe and free from stress in travel and adjusting to a strange country and hot climate. See