Church Members in U.K. Take Part in ‘Big Help Out’ for King’s Coronation

Coronation-Service
Members of the Duston Ward in the Northampton England Stake and their neighbors move loads of stones to create new pathways at Obelisk Spinney Community Park in Northampton, England, on May 8, 2023. Several JustServe projects were listed for the UK’s Big Help Out on that day and in the weeks since. Photo courtesy of Debbie Twigger, courtesy of Church News.All rights reserved.

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King Charles’ coronation this month in London came with an invitation to residents of the United Kingdom to participate in the Big Help Out.

The movement sought to give everyone the chance to lend a hand and make a difference in their communities — both those who volunteer regularly and those who have never volunteered before.

Thousands of organizations across the country got together to give people the opportunity to volunteer. Many of those opportunities were listed on the JustServe website and app.

The Big Help Out website said more than six and a half million people joined in on Monday, May 8, after the coronation of King Charles on the Saturday before.

But the movement was not for one day, only. Several projects have continued since then, and volunteers are encouraged to continue to give back and serve their community in any way.

Most recently, full-time missionaries from the England Leeds Mission joined members of the York England Stake for a tree project with York Interfaith on Saturday, May 13.

The volunteers cleared overgrown brambles near the River Ouse on Clifton Ings in York. These measures helped support flood management measures as York is prone to flooding.

In addition to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the York Interfaith group included representatives from the Baha’i, Methodist, Unitarian, Buddhist, Hindu faiths working side by side.

On May 8, the Northampton England Stake participated in several projects for the Big Help Out, including a JustServe effort for a charity called Baby Basics. Around 40 people of all ages served at the stake center, including members of the public.

The volunteers brought in donations of baby clothes and toiletries to make Moses baskets for new mothers, including hand-knitted cardigans, hats, mittens and toys.

Sabrina Oakey, volunteer lead and donation coordinator with Baby Basics in Northampton said, “A fantastic turnout and some beautiful work done. Please pass on our huge thanks to everyone who took part.”

The Northampton and Kettering meetinghouses continue to act as public donation centers for Baby Basics, where items are brought in weekly and collected by the charity to make up into baskets.

Another project in Northampton involved members and their neighbors working together at Obelisk Spinney Community Park. The Duston Ward JustServe specialist, Ann Hunt, saw the project on the Big Help Out website and spread the word. Members of the ward and their neighbors joined together to move 19 tons of resurfacing materials with wheelbarrows and then spread the materials onto paths through the park.

And a third project involved cleaning at a local community church in the area. Around a dozen members of the Church, including many young single adults, were involved. They painted, swept, scrubbed, mopped and vacuumed inside and weeded the grounds outside the Broadmead Community Church.

Meanwhile, members of the Bradford Ward in the Leeds England Stake marked the Big Help Out by gardening, weeding and cleaning at Heaton Cemetery. Individuals and families — including children and teenagers — served together on May 8. This earned the appreciation of the cemetery’s caretaker, who remarked on the wonderful turnout, especially in the rain.

JustServe volunteers have been working at the cemetery regularly for a couple of years, pruning bushes or pulling dandelions and other efforts as needed.

The Poole England Stake took part in projects in their area as well. The Weymouth Branch and friends picked up litter along Chesil Beach. The event was supported by the local council, which provided the litter pickers, gloves and bags.

They had a break in the weather and were able to have dry conditions for their project. Following the activity, everyone went back to the Weymouth chapel to enjoy a coronation lunch.

Members of the Poole Ward joined full-time sister missionaries to spruce up Holes Bay, which is a local beauty spot and haven for wetland birds. Although a very wet and windy day had been forecasted, as soon as the group started to pick up litter, the rain stopped and the winds calmed.

On the island of Ireland, members of the Belfast Northern Ireland Stake assisted in the Windsor Community Garden rebuild. The project was organized by the Northern Ireland interfaith forum and posted on JustServe.

The Church’s Ireland Newsroom reported that the community garden is a volunteer initiative created around 10 years ago. The current caretakers — an elderly couple who arrived a year ago as refugees from Ukraine — needed help replacing rotting wood in the raised flower beds.

For the Big Help Out, Church members joined their neighbors of several different faiths to help in the gardens, including moving about 10 tons of soil.

Organizers of the Big Help Out said people reported that they were likely to continue to volunteer after participating in May’s service projects, and they plan to continue to try to find ways to serve in their communities.

The JustServe Europe North social media accounts pointed out that such service brings people together and creates a lasting legacy from the coronation weekend.