Asda Scotland colleagues lend a hand in ‘Big Help Out’ initiative

Asda colleagues from all over Scotland will lend a helping hand in their local communities as part of this year’s ‘Big Help Out’ initiative, which takes place on 7th – 9th June.

The ‘Big Help Out’ will see thousands of organisations come together to help clean up the community, and Asda is encouraging people to volunteer with their local grassroots clubs, which are hugely reliant on fundraising and volunteers to support their life-changing work.

This comes after a report found a lack of volunteers is holding back the potential in the UK’s sport and physical activity sectors, while Asda’s Community Tracker Report found that 43 percent of its customers would be likely to get involved in local volunteering opportunities.

As official partner of the ‘Big Help Out’, Asda asks its store Community Champions to nominate areas that could do with a little bit of help to create a better outdoor community space.

Asda will hold over 350 litter picks at grassroots groups across the UK to support the volunteering drive. Through its network of stores and 390 Community Champions, the aim is to build connected communities, strengthen resilience, and remove barriers to health and wellbeing for all.

Community Champion at Asda Maryhill, Ryan Rooney visited Cadder Primary School, ahead of the official ‘Big Help Out’ weekend to help make a positive difference to its surroundings.

Ryan said: “We organised a litter pick with Cadder Primary School to clear up the grounds of the school and painted some of the flower boxes, the kids really enjoyed the day out in the lovely weather doing all these activities, so it was a really nice experience for them too.

“Myself along with my colleagues really look forward to getting involved in these amazing community projects as part of the initiative, it’s always a pleasure being involved, especially to get that feeling of community spirit.”

Whether it’s through litter picks, like the many being arranged by Asda’s Community Champions, or volunteering at a local group, just a small amount of time can make a massive difference, and the Big Help Out app makes it simple to find options in your local area.

Liz Arbuckle, Community Champion at Asda Toryglen also supported a litter pick involving local schools.

Liz added: "Myself and my colleagues are proud to help make a positive difference in our surrounding areas and are delighted to partner with the Big Help Out to help encourage volunteering in communities.

“If our local clubs and organisations haven’t got the people to make them work, we could lose them and the invaluable work they do, so by getting involved in volunteering, you could be saving a whole community.

“To find out what is going on near you all you have to do is download the app, say what you’re interested in and where you live and it will tell you all the activities that suit you in your area.

“At Asda Toryglen, we supported a litter pick with ten of our local primary schools, over 100 pupils all walked from their schools litter picking and finishing up at Hampden Park for a tour, with Asda providing a sandwich and snack. It was a great day!”

Details of the ‘Big Help Out’ events, as well as other local volunteering opportunities, will be advertised on community boards in Asda stores and customers can also download the ‘Big Help Out’ app to find out more.