The UK’s largest volunteering charity CSV is forming a volunteer taskforce to help clean up and deal with the devastation caused by the floods in South Yorkshire following a request for help by David Blunkett, MP for Sheffield Brightside and a former CSV trustee.

CSV is sending a Youth Action Team of full-time volunteers, from Sheffield, Leeds and York to help staff at CSV Action based at BBC Radio Sheffield to help co-ordinate the Good Neighbour Volunteer campaign. The campaign, which kicked off at 7.30am this morning (Wednesday 27 June 2007) is calling for hundreds of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire residents to sign up to help in the flood clear up.

Andy Kershaw, CSV Action Producer at BBC Radio Sheffield, said: “We're offering to put people who need help with clearing cellars and homes, getting clean water and clothing and accessing support services in touch with people who can offer help with time and skills to others.

“We're setting up a register, much like they did in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and in other parts of the world where people help each other. We are looking for people to volunteer their time, skills and talents to help local people affected by the floods. We need people to offer practical support like pumping water from cellars or mopping up and cleaning the water damage.”

To sign up to help call the CSV Action line at BBC Radio Sheffield on 0114 267 5444 or email actiondesk.sheffield@bbc.co.uk

This follows CSV’s response to other emergencies including the Birmingham tornado in 2005, where volunteers helped remove fallen debris.

For further press information contact Paul Donohoe 020 7812 0037/07779 624 385 pdonohoe@csv.org.uk or Jason Tanner 020 7812 0038 jtanner@csv.org.uk

Notes for Editors

1. CSV (Community Service Volunteers) is the UK's leading volunteering and training charity and creates opportunities for people to take an active part in the life of their community through volunteering, training and community action. Lat year 227,000 people give 5 million hours of their time as volunteers through CSV. www.csv.org.uk

2. The CSV Action Network is based at 36 BBC radio stations across England and encourage the nation to play a more active part in the life and well being of their community. Over the past six years CSV Action Desks have had over 365,000 calls in response to local volunteering and learning opportunities promoted in partnership with the BBC. CSV Action Desks are part funded by the European Social Fund. For more information visit: www.csv.org.uk/actiondesks