The National Council for Voluntary Organisations has pulled out of this year’s Volunteers’ Week because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The umbrella body, which is one of the four main organisers of the annual event, said its resources were “entirely focused on the immediate crisis”.
It said that another of the organisers, Northern Ireland’s Volunteer Now, would also not take part, leaving Volunteer Scotland and the Wales Council for Voluntary Action.
“NCVO and Volunteer Now have decided to pause their involvement in the week while the coronavirus crisis continues,” an NCVO statement said.
The events listings and “stories from the week” section on the Volunteers’ Week website, which is run by the NCVO, would be closed to new content, it said.
Existing resources would remain available but would not be updated for this year’s event, it added.
Karl Wilding, chief executive of the NCVO, warned charities that were still planning to take part in the event to consider the tone of any activities.
“Like most charities, our resources are now focused entirely on providing support through the immediate crisis,” he said.
“Even if it felt the right time to mark Volunteers’ Week, the practical difficulties would make it extremely challenging.
“I know some will still want to continue with what plans they can for the week, and I understand that. For those that are, I would suggest exercising some caution in their messaging and consider how it may be received. The usual celebratory tone may not be right this year.
“But I hope that we all nevertheless take a moment to reflect on the enormous contribution that volunteers are making today and every day, and to recognise the volunteers in our organisations for what they are doing at this most difficult time.”