Tony Lloyd MP met with British Red Cross volunteers and staff at Westminster on Tuesday, January 28 at a special parliamentary event in the organisation’s 150th year of supporting people in crisis.

Mr. Lloyd said, “The Red Cross volunteers do great work not just internationally but here in Rochdale and throughout the UK. I want to thank all British Red Cross volunteers in Rochdale for the amazing work they do.”

The Rochdale MP 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.

The Red Cross know that connected communities are more able to prepare effectively for crises and recover afterwards. Building resilient communities enables the most vulnerable to be better protected in an emergency.

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.

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.

She said: “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. Or it could be visiting their local Red Cross shop to meet and thank the volunteers who help to make our movement so powerful”.

“We want to work together to create kinder, more resilient and more connected communities and ensure people’s basic needs are met wherever they are, enabling us all to live safer, happier and healthier lives.”