A host of Team GB athletes including James Jones from Swansea are urging the nation to come together again for the next big sporting event, by taking part in Game On – Team GB and the British Red Cross’ Olympic fundraising challenge during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.  Game On asks the public to set themselves a challenge to complete during  the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, whether that’s sprinting lengths of your local park, taking on a heptathlon in your back garden or completing a one-minute plank for every medal won by Team…

  Today, on what would have been Diana, Princess of Wales’ 60th birthday, the British Red Cross has released two documents, including a never-before-seen diary entry following a meeting with Princess Diana. The diary entry was written by Eileen Nicol, who was Chairman at Activenture, a holiday camp for children with disabilities in Sussex, run by the British Red Cross. Dated 30th July 1985, the entry documents the Princess’ day visiting the centre and her unsurprising love for the children. “[The Princess] was charming. She has so much compassion for the children” Eileen writes of the visit. “She spoke to every one of them…

A group of Cardiff based volunteers have come together in a fundraising effort to support the British Red Cross through an online auction launching on the 8th May.   The charity, which is now in its second year of responding to coronavirus, has reached more than 1.5 million people in the UK since the start of the pandemic, supporting those hardest hit by providing practical and emotional support through their national support line, getting cash grants, food and other essential…

    New research from the British Red Cross suggests that the pandemic has changed our attitude towards asking for help, as almost a quarter (24%) of people in Wales say they find it easier to reach out when they are struggling. The pandemic has also made us more compassionate, with people more concerned about those in need, and many saying they will be kinder to others long into the future. In Wales, the survey found that: • Half (50%)…

The British Red Cross is urging the Welsh Government to come up with a plan to tackle loneliness this winter, as a new report shows that many people aren’t coping. In new polling, over a third of people (37%) in Wales said loneliness was having a negative impact on their mental health. With most of the country now back under tighter restrictions, the British Red Cross is calling on everyone – governments, charities, communities and individuals – to come together…

With ‘firebreak’ restrictions in force across Wales, here at the British Red Cross we are encouraging people to call 0808 1963651 if they feel lonely, worried or in need of assistance. Like everybody else, I got a bit frustrated when coronavirus started as being in the vulnerable category, I couldn’t carry on with my usual volunteering. I can see the sense of staying home, it’s to protect us. But it can take its toll and if people need to talk…

The British Red Cross has re-opened its charity shops in phases, following Welsh Government guidelines allowing non-essential retail to open. Extensive new safety measures have been implemented by the charity to make sure its shops are safe for customers, volunteers and staff.  In Wales, six of the charity’s shops have opened including: Aberystwyth, Cardiff, Chepstow, Llandovery, Monmouth and Swansea. To check and call ahead if your local shop is open, visit www.redcross.org.uk/shop/find-a-charity-shop. In store physical distancing, quarantining of new donations,…

To celebrate Refugee Week in its 150th year, the British Red Cross is focusing on the experiences and challenges that refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK are facing during the coronavirus pandemic. These challenges – including destitution, being separated from loved ones, and challenges accessing things like housing, work and education – are sadly not new, but have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Refugee Week is usually a celebration of the contributions refugees and people seeking sanctuary have…

British Red Cross has set up a free phone line to help people facing a range of issues due to coronavirus and the lockdown period. Members of the ‘psychosocial and mental health’ team at the British Red Cross will be on-hand to provide practical and emotional support, for anything from accessing food or medicines to dealing with loneliness. The Red Cross coronavirus support line telephone number is 0808 196 3651 and is open daily from 10am to 6pm. The service is free, and completely confidential. Norman McKinley, British Red…

People who need wheelchairs and other mobility aids during the coronavirus crisis do not have to go without because of the national emergency. That’s the message from the British Red Cross, which provides short-term loans of wheelchairs and other mobility aids across the UK. The Red Cross is working in 70 hospitals, providing mobility aids that assist with patient discharge, while most of its 100+ community-based mobility centres remain open so people can order and collect items like wheelchairs. In…