Geva joins Gary at The Big Help Out

Geva Mentor teamed up with Gary Lineker for a youth sports day featuring netball and football at a London-based community group to help promote the England Netball-backed Big Help Out initiative and encourage people to volunteer. And there is even a NETBALLHer element to The Big Help Out too.

Last year, more than seven million people took part in The Big Help Out during the King’s Coronation weekend – lending a hand and making a difference in their local communities.

The objective of The Big Help Out, which took place over the weekend of 7-9 June, is to raise awareness of volunteering throughout the UK and provide opportunities for people to experience volunteering in whatever they are interested in, from sports clubs to litter picks to helping vulnerable groups in their area.

As well as providing much-needed support, volunteering also enables people to gain valuable new skills, confidence, experiences and friends. 73 per cent of volunteers say that getting involved gives them more confidence, according to research by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.

On The Big Help Out website organisations can showcase a variety of opportunities, which are easily searchable by location and interest, from one-off events to informal volunteering projects and informative ‘taster’ sessions aimed at fostering long-term engagement. You can find out more here.

It’s not just about getting people to volunteer for a day, it’s about inspiring a new generation of people to get involved in volunteering!

There is also an app you can download from the homepage, where we have added some simple NETBALLHer actions to keep driving awareness of our industry-leading initiative and to continue normalising conversations on topics about the female body.

England Netball Head of Volunteering, Imogen Greatbatch said: “We recognise that volunteer motivations and trends are changing, particularly since COVID-19. With small pockets flourishing, backing a campaign like The Big Help Out will enable us to position netball-related actions and opportunities in front of people who may be curious about volunteering but might not necessarily have considered netball, particularly through the lens of how they can support female health on and beyond the court through our NETBALLHer resources.”