A desire to help others at their time of greatest need has seen Niall Pemberton volunteer for the British Red Cross for almost 20 years.

After joining the organisation as a full-time member of staff in 2008 in the learning and development department, Niall remained as a volunteer after moving into a new permanent role in 2017 to maintain his links with the organisation he loves.

Talking about his time with the British Red Cross he said: “Although my original job was not specifically a hands-on role you cannot help but become involved in emergency response.

"Within the first week of me being there I was part of a rest centre response incident in Bamber Bridge and I got the bug from there as it gave me the chance to work with vulnerable people who needed support.

“In my 10 years as a staff member there were loads of opportunities to work with volunteers from a wide range of statutory organisations and do lots of different things. I tried my hand at everything from community education to first aid, to ambulance support and emergency response and have been involved with some significant national responses like the Manchester Arena attack, Grenfell Tower, Storm Desmond and other incidents such as local flooding events and the Heysham gas explosion.

“They are all varied but the important thing for me was that I could provide support for people in communities when they needed it, and the Red Cross gave me a vehicle to do that.’’

Asked about the benefits of volunteering he said: “One thing that always stays with me is the individual stories of the people you are helping that you normally wouldn’t hear.

“There are people who are vulnerable and are struggling and working with the British Red Cross gives you the opportunity to work with these people and really help them.

"Some of the things I have been most proud of is working with people who have been subject to modern day slavery and I worked at lots of rest centres in Merseyside and Manchester helping people in such a situation

“One thing I have learned is that the Red Cross is a well-known organisation across the world that people trust and recognise and that is incredibly powerful.

“If someone is looking to be a volunteer in an organisation that really does make a difference, I would definitely recommend the Red Cross.

“It is a wonderful, organisation to work for and you have the chance to be part of an international movement that has got a long history of supporting people in emergencies and at times of crises and it is one of things in my life that I am most proud of.’’

If you would like to know more about volunteering opportunities with the British Red Cross go to their website here: Volunteer work and volunteering opportunities near you