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Red Cross Blogs

Blogs highlighting the work of staff and volunteers within the British Red Cross, part of the largest humanitarian organisation movement in the world.


Listen to our podcast, Red Cross Radio, covering the range of work done by British Red Cross volunteers and staff in the UK and around the world. It provides a behind-the-scenes look into our aid work -- from projects helping children recover after years of conflict in Sierra Leone to gaining new skills as a volunteer in the UK.

Subscribe to Red Cross Radio to automatically download to your computer or listening device or subscribe using RSS. You can also listen to the individual episodes below.

Mark Cox

Woman in front of map of flood-affected Cockermouth, CumbriaThe Cumbrian floods last November had a devastating effect on hundreds of lives. Six months on, three families recall their darkest hours and discuss how the Red Cross has been helping them ever since. Mother-of-two Lynne Swain, pensioners Mary and Harold Todhunter and local shop owner Catherine Bell share their stories.

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Katrina Crew

When Germany occupied the Channel Islands during the Second World War, islanders found their lines of communication almost completely severed from relatives in the UK. For a time, they were entirely cut off from the food supplies they relied on.

Fortunately, the Red Cross ship SS Vega sailed to the rescue – bringing much-needed relief and comfort supplies – and Red Cross messages brought news from family. Listen as islanders remember those troubling times.

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And here are some photos from our archives.

Read about how the Red Cross helped the occupied Channel Islands.

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RCAW, Red Cross Appeal Week logo If you turn to 8 May in your diary and take a look at the small print – you know the bit that says things like Easter Monday and my favourite, British Summer Time begins – you might be surprised to see that on that date it says World Red Cross Day. Yes, it’s true – we have our very own day!

And not content with a day, the British Red Cross celebrates for the entire week surrounding it (well wouldn’t you, if you had your own day?).

We call it Red Cross Appeal Week and it’s the biggest week in the Red Cross fundraising calendar – this year running from 2-8 May.

From selling cakes to abseiling from bridges, thousands of people across the UK raise hundreds of thousands of pounds (£935,000 last year) throughout the week to fund our work around the world.

And this year we’ve taken things up a notch and launched an extra-special Appeal Week music video and song. The song – written exclusively for the Appeal by up-and-coming duo Reid and Stanners – takes the same title as this year’s theme: “With a little help from you” – and it’s pretty great if we may say so ourselves.

We want you to share the video with as many people as possible to spread the word about our work and help make this an Appeal Week to remember – so please start tweeting and sharing to your heart’s content.

And don’t forget to start making your own fundraising preparations for the week – you can check out our Appeal Week pages for all the tips and advice you need.

Remember, there are only two weeks to go so get those thinking caps on now! If you’ve already got your RCAW plans in place, let us know in the comments below.


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Katrina Crew

Podcast: seeking asylum in the UK

By Katrina Crew
April 19, 2010 at 9:49 am


Silhouette of a woman cryingImagine fleeing your country, your family, and everything you know because your life is in danger. Several years ago, Jennifer suffered horrific violence and came to the UK seeking asylum. She talks about her experiences, and how the Red Cross’ refugee services have helped her find her way in a new country.

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Ben Stickley

Red Cross emergency volunteers are specially trained to act fast and save lives in a crisis situation. However, it’s not all about blue lights and ambulances. Emergencies come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes an altogether different approach is called for. In this podcast, volunteers Matt Smith and Louise Elstow describe how they used their skills and training to deal with two very different situations.

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