To kick off the campaign, The Sun hosted a special Christmas lunch in South East London to say thank you to a group of RVS volunteers who already give up their time to help others, also attended by Strictly's head judge Shirley Ballas.
Royal Voluntary Service is one of Britain’s largest volunteering charities, with volunteers supporting the NHS and thousands of vulnerable people throughout Britain.
As well as running lunch and social clubs, the charity also works in local communities providing patient transport, offering companionship support and running hospital shops and trolleys.
The charity also runs the NHS Volunteer Responders programme for NHS England with the GoodSAM app, with Steward volunteers supporting at vaccination sites.
The Sun's partnership with RVS has led to some of the most important campaigns including the award-winning Jabs Army, recruiting over 80,000 volunteers during the pandemic to help with the vaccine rollout.
Victoria Newton, Editor of the Sun, says: "The Sun's readers always give generously at Christmas but this year, during a cost of living crisis, we have asked our readers to be charitable with their time. Our campaign for 2022, Helping Hands at Christmas in collaboration with the Royal Voluntary Service, allows our readers to sign up and give back alongside a host of celebrities and famous faces. From hospital wards and care homes to support centres in the community, we'll be bringing festive joy to those in need."
Backing the appeal Shirley Ballas said: “I'm so excited to support The Sun's Christmas campaign and meet so many people who give up their time to help so many people. This particular time of the year, it's very difficult for some people to be able to give financially, but I do feel that people can dig deep in their heart and give us their time. It may only be a few hours. It could be visiting the elderly or somebody who doesn't have anybody. There's so many different ways that we can all reach and give our time.”
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