THE NSPCC is a charity and relies on public donations for around 90 per cent of its funding.

We rely on volunteers to help raise those vital funds, and to help deliver essential messages to children and families.

Our Schools Service volunteers, for example, visit primary schools to share information and host workshops with pupils. This can help empower them not just to have the knowledge and confidence to recognise abuse and neglect, but also to speak out about it and seek support from trusted adults.

Volunteers are also the lifeblood of the NSPCC’s Childline service. By offering up their time and life experiences for a few hours every week, people from a range of backgrounds can be there to support children and young people. Our brilliant team here and their colleagues at Childline bases around the UK guide and advise young people, whenever they feel they have nobody else to turn to. Our fundraising teams work tirelessly to set up raffles, auctions, bake sales, fashion shows, concerts and other events to support children, young people and families. Whether they’re bringing in £100 or several thousand, every penny goes to support services which can improve the lives of young people. Put simply, our volunteers are essential in enabling us to be here for all children. Their contributions cannot be understated.

Outside the NSPCC, volunteers play an important role across the charity sector too, and this is one of the reasons that we along with many other charities are taking part in a special initiative, The Big Help Out. A fantastic way to mark the King’s Coronation in May, it aims to raise awareness of volunteering and how to lend a hand and make a difference in communities. Hundreds of charities, including Samaritans, Age UK, Trussell Trust and the RSPCA, are working together to give people chance to help out in their communities. Here at the NSPCC, we’re encouraging people to find out more about volunteering with our services like Childline, Speak Out Stay Safe and Child Protection in Sport. We’l be holding free information meetings in coming weeks.

Sometimes volunteering can be as simple as knocking on a door and checking in on a neighbour who might appreciate a bit of company. It might be baking a cake for a local fundraising event, or going some training and giving up a few hours a week to support children. However you decide to volunteer, it all makes a genuine difference to charities like the NSPCC, and if it becomes a regular thing, that’s even better. To find out more, go to thebighelpout.org.uk or nspcc.org.uk