During Volunteers Week, Ross Kemp is swapping the Queen Vic for The Volunteer pub in Regents Park, London. He will be taking pandemic volunteers for a well-deserved drink and launching Cheers for Volunteers.
Ross Kemp with Kelly Southam, Sonny Purba, Sujay Paul, and Regan Hirst at The Volunteer, Regents Park. Photographs: Royal Voluntary Service
Recognising the incredible effort of the 12.4 million volunteers who stepped up to support during the pandemic, Ross, in partnership with the Together Coalition and Royal Voluntary Service, is launching Cheers for Volunteers as part of a National Thank You Day on 4th July. And there’s a special beer to support their efforts, too.
Ross is not new to volunteering, having spent the last few months helping a range of charities and having filmed a documentary on volunteering at the start of the pandemic.
The volunteers who joined Ross at The Volunteer in Regents Park were Regan Hirst (aged 24), Sonny Purba (54), and Kelly Southam (37) from the Royal Voluntary Service, and Sujay Paul (39) from Rotary.
Ross Kemp is one of many celebrities, including Bear Grylls, Felicity Kendal, Gary Lineker, and Dame Judy Dench, who are backing the national Thank You Day on 4th July.
Thank You Day will see members of the public join in with a series of events in their communities to show appreciation to all those who have carried us through the pandemic. The event will include a 5pm Cheers for Volunteers, when the public are being encouraged to raise a glass (or mug of tea!) to thank all the volunteers who did so much to help.
Ross said: “What a fantastic bunch of people. It was a pleasure to take them out for a drink and I was honoured to kick off Cheers for Volunteers.
“Wherever you will be at 5pm on 4th July, please join me in raising your drink of choice to all of the volunteers who have seen us through the pandemic. The last year has been hard for all of us, but we also saw it bringing our communities closer together. Whatever happens next in the pandemic we’re going to need to keep that community spirit going.”
Ross Kemp pours out a pint of Cheers For Volunteers
Regan Hirst, from Doncaster, has been volunteering with the Royal Voluntary Service’s Doncaster Dementia Support service for two years. Despite many of the activities moving online, Regan has continued to support clients and carers to whom her support is invaluable.
She said: “I started volunteering to feel like I was I was doing something to help. After I finished my art degree, I wanted to train as an art therapist and felt like volunteering with the Dementia Service was a great first step. You don’t volunteer for yourself, but my voluntary work has been the most fulfilling of my life. I have been hosting virtual art classes and am so pleased to be back doing garden and home visits.”
Catherine Johnstone CBE, chief executive at Royal Voluntary Service, said: “The volunteer effort over the past year has been nothing short of phenomenal. The 12.4m who have stepped forward to support the pandemic, both nationally and locally, deserve our most heartfelt thanks and should be immensely proud of themselves. The Cheers for Volunteers, as part of National Thank You Day, is a fantastic way for people to come together and express their gratitude.”
Ross and many of the volunteers were drinking Cheers for Volunteers, a beer that will be on tap across the country for Thank You Day. The beer is being supported by dozens of breweries and will be on tap at thousands of pubs. Pubs across the UK will be inviting regulars and their local community — including volunteers — to join them for a toast and cheers at 5pm on 4th July.
James Grugeon, founder of The Good Beer Co, which is behind the Cheers for Volunteers beer, said: “It’s brilliant that we can thank our hard-working volunteers and support our hard-hit pubs and breweries at the same time. It’s amazing to see so many breweries and pubs across the country coming on board to support Cheers for Volunteers and show their gratitude to those who have helped us through the pandemic.”
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “We are delighted to lend our support to Cheers for Volunteers and really pleased to see pubs across Britain getting behind a toast to hard-working volunteers in their local communities.”
Fergus Fitzgerald, head brewer at Adnams, added: “This is a really great way to thank volunteers for everything they have done and are still doing to support our communities through the covid-19 pandemic. We’re proud to support Cheers for Volunteers, and I’m looking forward to raising a glass at one of our pubs on National Thank You Day.”
