Celebrities join forces to support Helpforce’s latest campaign ‘Giving Back, Transforming Care’
30th September 2025
Dame Kelly Holmes, Beverley Knight and Dr Zoe Williams have joined our mission to transform healthcare through volunteering, sharing powerful personal messages in support of Helpforce's national campaign ‘Giving Back, Transforming Care’.
Together, we're raising awareness about how expertly-designed healthcare volunteer programmes can make a transformative difference to people using services, to staff, and to volunteers themselves.
Video of Dame Kelly Holmes sharing her support
Dame Kelly Holmes, two-time Olympic gold medallist and 12 major title winner, said: “We all know that volunteers are an integral part of the NHS and Helpforce is ensuring the advancement and the quality of volunteering in the healthcare system is second to none. I know firsthand from my mother working with the NHS, but also being supported by the NHS, that volunteers are so important to all the support that is required. I would like to say a massive thank you to those who give up their time and who want to make a difference. Thank you for the great work.”
Video of Beverley Knight sharing her message
Soul singer, radio presenter, and musical theatre actress , Beverley Knight also expressed her support through personal ties: “I'm backing Helpforce’s ‘Giving Back, Transforming Care’ campaign. As someone who has a third of her family working for the NHS, I know the value of the tens and thousands of volunteers who help to bolster the work that people like my family do. Thank you so much to all those volunteers and thank you Helpforce for your campaign. I am in your corner.”
Dr Zoe Williams's video
Dr Zoe Williams, resident doctor for ITV's This Morning, emphasised the essential role volunteers play: “We all know that volunteers are integral to the NHS and Helpforce is doing an amazing job to advance healthcare volunteering. I just want to say a massive thank you to all the volunteers because I've witnessed firsthand the incredible work that you do and quite frankly, the NHS could not survive without you.”
Amerjit Chohan, Helpforce CEO, said: “It’s heartening to hear from celebrities who support our campaign and share their appreciation of NHS volunteers.
“From working with over 100 healthcare organisations, we have gathered over 500 evidenced outcomes that demonstrate the impact of volunteering on staff, patients and organisations. We found that:
- 86% of healthcare staff agreed that volunteers improve the quality of service they can provide
- 79% of people receiving care agreed that volunteers helped reduce their anxiety
- 91% of volunteers said volunteering gives them a sense of purpose
“The strong evidence clearly shows that volunteers can make a significant different to our NHS and yet many organisations haven't fully embraced volunteering's potential in enhancing care and reducing staff pressure.
“We must shift from viewing volunteers as 'nice to have' to recognising them as integral to modern healthcare. Only then can meaningful change occur. That’s why we are running our three-year ‘Giving Back, Transforming Care’ campaign to make that change become a reality.”
The supportive messages coincide with Helpforce’s fresh call on the Government to mass mobilise volunteers to support the NHS, with the focus on recruiting people into ‘response volunteer’ roles. Working alongside NHS staff, these volunteers can have a transformative impact on hospital efficiency and help reduce waiting lists.
Watch the video to learn about the campaign
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