Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of turning the Big Help Out initiative on 8 May 2023 into an annual occurrence.

Volunteering is vital for society and the Government recognises this. It benefits volunteers and the organisations involving them and has transformational impacts on beneficiaries and their communities. Government aims to remove barriers to getting people involved.

The Big Help Out was a day of community volunteering to mark the Coronation of King Charles III, held on 8 May 2023, and was led by the Together coalition and the Shaping the Future with Volunteering group ​​to encourage people to help out in their communities.

The Government provided £450,000 to support the campaign, which saw millions of people volunteering in their community. I have since met with the organisers, who are currently considering proposals to build on the legacy of the Big Help Out campaign.