The world’s news is our news: from house fires in Kent to conflicts in the Middle East, the Red Cross and our Red Crescent partners are there to help.
Community reserve volunteers at a response exercise – ©BritishRedCross/Andrew Hasson
An exciting new campaign launches this week and we need your help.
The British Red Cross is aiming to recruit 10,000 volunteers across the UK who can help out when disaster strikes their local community.
The ‘community reserve volunteers’ will work together as a team during major emergencies, such as flooding.
They could also help out during other incidents such as a terror attack, or a major fire.
Rajuma Khatun fled Myanmar with her two children – ©IFRC/AJGhani
Life for people fleeing violence in Myanmar does not get any easier when they reach Bangladesh, as Corinne Ambler reports.
At the age of 25, Rajuma Khatun is a mother, a widow, and without a home. She is also exhausted.
The mother-of-two has barely eaten or slept since arriving in Bangladesh, having fled the violence in Myanmar.
It took her family seven days to travel from their home in Rakhine State to the relative safety of a settlement in Thangkhali, near the border.
New research from the British Red Cross has revealed that three out of four parents in the UK would not be able to save their baby from choking.*
But helping a baby or child who is choking is much simpler than you might think. In fact, you can learn how in just a few minutes.
To mark World First Aid Day on 9 September, we’re calling on anyone who looks after little ones to learn this life-saving skill, and encourage others to by wrapping your social media profile picture with our “I can save a life” pledge.
Keep reading and you’ll be ready to save a life in no time.
Diana visiting children at Hindleap Warren in 1985
Throughout her life, Princess Diana was a dedicated humanitarian who championed causes in the UK and overseas. We look back on her journey with the Red Cross.
Princess Diana was always committed to using her public profile to bring about positive change.
A firm believer in the power of young people, she became patron of the Red Cross Youth in 1983, which gave her an increasingly visible role with the British Red Cross.
In July 1985, Diana visited a Red Cross adventure camp for disabled children at Hindleap Warren, in East Sussex.
Barbara Summerfield, 85, from Saltdean, was a youth officer at the time and has fond memories of Diana’s visit.
“What went down well, more than anything else, was that Diana was a real person who the children could talk to,” said Barbara.
Diana spending time with children at Hindleap Warren in 1985
Milk is distributed to children at a refugee camp in Multan, Pakistan – ©BritishRedCross
India and Pakistan are celebrating 71 years of independence next week. While their new-found independence was a cause for celebration, the partition of British India in August 1947 triggered one of the largest population movements in history as millions were displaced. We take a look at how the British Red Cross responded to the crisis.
The partition of India and subsequent creation of Pakistan came after years of campaigning for Indian independence from British rule.
Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, who would become India’s first prime minister, and Muhammed Ali Jinnah, the first governor general of Pakistan, lobbied and protested tirelessly along with countless others for the sovereignty independence offered.
Every day a steady flow of people pass through the doors of the Westway Sports Centre seeking help in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire. Each person has a story to tell. Three local residents share their stories and how the British Red Cross has helped them.
James lives opposite Grenfell Tower. Shortly after the fire broke out, he saw smoke filling the windows of residents’ homes.
“I saw three young children, all aged four to five, screaming for help. It was extremely distressing,” James recalls.
©MattPercival/BritishRedCross
Responding to emergencies in the UK is at the heart of British Red Cross work.
Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers and staff have helped people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire since the immediate aftermath.
Dozens of Red Cross volunteers have been helping since the fire –
©MattPercival/BritishRedCross
“The community spirit is incredible, absolutely incredible,” said Phil Osler, reflecting on the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire in West London.
“There is a constant stream of people coming in with offers of help – clothing, toiletries, food – everybody coming together, regardless of background or religion.
“At one point I was talking to a rabbi, an imam, and a pastor. Everyone is there for one thing and that is to help.” More
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