Yesterday, Gerald Jones, MP for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, met with British Red Cross volunteers and staff at Westminster at a special parliamentary event in the organisation’s 150th year of supporting people in crisis.
At the event, Gerald spoke to Red Cross volunteers who routinely support people during an emergency. From getting people home from hospital, reuniting refugee families torn apart by conflict, supporting people who have been trafficked and exploited, equipping young people with the skills to save a life, to working with communities here and overseas when disaster strikes.
At Tuesday’s event, attended by almost 50 MPs, the charity asked MPs to pledge to become part of a network of Kindness Champions. This cross-party network will see MPs and Peers able to demonstrate and spread kindness in the UK and abroad.
During the parliamentary event, Gerald took part in an “acts of kindness tombola” that saw him commit small actions in support of the work of the British Red Cross.
Commenting at the event, Gerald said:
“I am delighted to be able to support the British Red Cross in Parliament today, and be at the launch of their new advocacy report.
“The Red Cross do excellent work – in South Wales and across the UK – and I want to pay tribute to the volunteers across the country, for all that they do to bring our communities together and improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable among us.”
British Red Cross executive director for communications and advocacy Zoë Abrams called on MPs from all parties to work with the charity to help people in crisis, saying:
“For 150 years, the British Red Cross has been supporting communities in the UK and around the world in times of emergency. In 2020, the climate crisis means people who are already vulnerable are now more at risk from the impact of extreme weather such as flooding or heatwaves. And today there are more people in the world who have been forced to leave their homes because of hunger, conflict and persecution than the entire population of the UK.
“The Red Cross works across the UK and are inviting all parliamentarians, to come to see our work in their local areas. This could be combating loneliness, supporting vulnerable people in the health and social care system, helping refugees rebuild their lives or working with emergency services and local authorities to help people deal with and recover from crisis.”