00:01Last month I had the great pleasure of speaking to a lady on the telephone who had worked
00:07with a group of land girls during the Second World War.
00:11We spoke of the quiet acts of heroism, both on the front line and at home, that brought
00:18about a great victory for us all.
00:21We now live in a very different world, yet as we pull together to overcome Covid-19,
00:27we see the same spirit at work, other-sung heroism on the front line and at home.
00:36And where there are other-sung heroes, there are volunteers.
00:41Since 2012 I have had the privilege of being President of the Royal Voluntary Service,
00:47an organisation of which Her Majesty is patron.
00:51The service was founded by Lady Reading in 1938.
00:56She described volunteering as the gift of a thoughtful person, of their skill, their energy
01:03and their time.
01:0582 years later, these words still apply.
01:10Whether you have been volunteering for decades or are nearly on call, you are all the thoughtful
01:16people, giving your skill, your energy and your time to support and care for others.
01:24The past weeks have seen a surge in volunteering, the like of which few will be able to recall.
01:33We now have a veritable army of 18,000 RVS volunteers and a staggering 600,000 NHS volunteer responders.
01:45This makes me incredibly proud of our country and of our national willingness to step forward
01:51to help in these very challenging times.
01:55May I salute all the other-sung heroes gathered in today's Virtual Village Hall and thank each
02:02of you from the bottom of my heart.
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