Wendi Peters, who plays the larger-than-life Cilla Battersby-Brown, will be embarking a Challenge Anneka style quest to renovate the home of a pregnant single mother. The challenge is part of CSV Make a Difference Day, the UK's single biggest day of 'hands-on' volunteering.

CSV Make a Difference Day is supported by Barclays Community Investment Programme and encourages people to give time instead of money to improve their local communities. Over 100,000 people have been taking part in events across the UK, including giving blood, knitting outfits for premature babies, turning wasteland into community gardens and baking and donating cakes for older people in residential homes. The campaign runs for the two weeks either side of Saturday 29th October.

Wendi's challenge is part of a new scheme by The City Centre Project in Manchester, which aims to provide housing to all young people facing homelessness.

Anyone who would like to get involved in the event, especially DIY enthusiasts, can contact Phil Barker on 0161 839 8855.


ENDS


Further press information contact: Esther Freeman CSV Make a Difference Day Press Office on 020 7812 0035/39. Email: efreeman@csv.org.uk. Out of office hours call 07981 591150.

Latest press releases: www.csv.org.uk/press

Notes for editors
1. CSV Make a Difference Day takes place on Saturday 29 October 2005, and activities take part a week either side. Nearly 100,000 people are expected to give time rather than money to improve their local community. The campaign is organised by CSV (Community Service Volunteers) and supported by Barclays community investment programme and the Home Office Active Communities Directorate.

2. CSV (Community Service Volunteers) is the UK's leading volunteering and training organisation and creates opportunities for people to play an active part in the life of their community through volunteering, training and community action. Each year 164,000 people give 4.1 million hours of their time as volunteers through CSV.

3. Year of the Volunteer 2005 is owned by volunteers, led by a partnership between Community Service Volunteers (CSV) and the Volunteering England Consortium, and supported by the Home Office. To find out more about events and activities during the Year of the Volunteer 2005, please visit the official website at www.yearofthevolunteer.org

4. Barclays PLC actively encourages employee involvement through its Employee Volunteering grant giving, Volunteer 2day time giving and £ for £ match-funding schemes, as well as encouraging the wider public to do the same through supporting flagship projects such as CSV Make a Difference Day and Barclays Spaces for Sports.

5. "We actively encourage our employees to give their time and effort to local charities, urban regeneration, fundraising and all forms of volunteering. We are proud of their efforts and not a little humbled by them." Matt Barrett, Group Chairman.

6. Over 20,000 Barclays employees from around the world took part in community activities in 2004. Over 11,500 Barclays employees took part in Make a Difference Day activities alone, including staff in Africa and Spain. Volunteering projects ranged from mentoring, clearing beaches to gardening, painting and decorating.

7. Barclays takes its social and environmental responsibilities seriously, supporting social and financial inclusion both nationally and at grass roots level to make a real and lasting difference to the community. In 2004 the bank continued to be one of the UK's top corporate contributors, making a global commitment of £31.9m and one in three Barclays employees volunteered for their local communities.

8. For further information on Barclays community activity, please see corporate responsibility at http://www.barclays.com. Media enquiries contact: Sarah Davis, Sponsorship PR Manager, Barclays PLC on 020 7116 6095.