MP's call for people to join British Red Cross

Caroline Dinenage, Gosport MP, is calling on residents to join the charity, which is hunting for 10,000 new volunteers by 2019.

The British Red Cross responds to an emergency every four hours in the UK, from fires, to extreme weather, flooding and acts of terror.

In 2017 the charity was called out to more than 1,500 emergencies, helping 9,265 people – it’s busiest period since the Second World War.

Ms Dinenage said: ‘The report published by the British Red Cross and Aviva shows that the majority of people in our region would want to help if disaster struck in their community but 55 per cent would not know what to do.

‘This campaign is about equipping them with skills and confidence to step up, should they ever be needed.’

The report, When Crisis Hits: mobilising kindness in our communities, revealed half of people in the south east think their community would be unprepared to cope with a large scale emergency.

Simon Lewis, head of crisis response at the British Red Cross, said the new national task force of volunteers would help communities ‘rebuild and recover faster’.

He said: ‘Everyone has a role to play when disaster strikes, even the smallest act of kindness can make a huge difference.’

No specialist skills are needed. It takes 10 minutes to sign up. To join, see redcross.org.uk/reserves