Nearly 40,000 volunteering events will take place on Monday to mark King Charles III’s coronation, it has been announced.
The events will be held as part of the Big Help Out, a nationwide day of volunteering organised to coincide with the coronation and long bank holiday.
Organisers claim that around 6 million people already plan to get involved with some form of volunteering on the day, with 6.5 million in-person opportunities listed for Monday on the Big Help Out app and an unspecified number of online volunteer activities.
Planning began in January with just 30 charities but about 33,000 organisations have now signed up with the app.
More than 1,000 businesses are also taking part, including BA and the online neighbourhood platform NextDoor.
Opportunities on the day include The Sea Cadets inviting volunteer pipers to join them for a world record attempt in Greenwich and the chance to learn more about the volunteer task forces run by the Canal and River Trust.
Brendan Cox, co-founder of the Together Coalition, which is helping organise the Big Help Out, said: “The scale of response has taken our breath away.”
He added: “The coronation is going to be a huge weekend and the Big Help will help ensure its legacy doesn’t end when the bunting comes down.”
Organisers are hoping the event will attract people back to volunteering after a fall in numbers since Covid-19.
Third Sector understands that the app is also advertising 80,000 volunteer opportunities with 30,000 charities taking place after the coronation, which is seen as a sign that the event can create momentum for volunteering beyond the long weekend.