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eal life<br />
From the Nepal earthquake to the tragedy of Grenfell<br />
Tower, Red Cross volunteers make a huge difference<br />
‘Helping at Grenfell changed my life’<br />
A year on from the Grenfell Tower fire that tragically<br />
took 71 lives, Elaine Meakin, pictured below, recalls the<br />
profound effect helping people caught in the tragedy had<br />
on her personally.<br />
Could you help?<br />
If you’re interested in volunteering to<br />
help The Red Cross in local, national or<br />
international emergencies call 0344 871 1111<br />
or visit www.redcross.org.uk/volunteer<br />
‘One moment<br />
you’re sitting at<br />
home in front of<br />
the television and<br />
the next you’re in a<br />
disaster zone’<br />
During the Nepal<br />
earthquakes in 2015, Linda<br />
was based at the British<br />
Embassy in Kathmandu,<br />
mainly helping people<br />
who’d been trekking in<br />
the mountains when the<br />
earthquake struck.<br />
“Many of them had<br />
had a traumatic journey<br />
finding their way back<br />
to the capital when the<br />
earthquake happened and<br />
were distressed by the things<br />
they’d seen. A lot were young<br />
people who’d been travelling<br />
the world, too, and we had to<br />
help them make the decision<br />
whether to go home or carry<br />
on with their travels.”<br />
As well as the Nepal<br />
earthquake, Linda also<br />
recently supported child<br />
refugees fleeing violence<br />
in their home country as<br />
they travelled to the UK from<br />
Calais. “Being able to bring<br />
support was very moving<br />
as the children were very<br />
scared, disorientated and<br />
uncertain of their future.”<br />
Dealing with such<br />
emotional situations<br />
“I’d been a member of<br />
staff at the Red Cross for a<br />
month when an email went<br />
around the office asking<br />
for volunteers to help at<br />
Grenfell. While I’d normally<br />
never do anything so out of<br />
my comfort zone, I’d been<br />
watching the events of<br />
Grenfell unfold on the news and there was something in me<br />
that made me want to help.<br />
“Seeing Grenfell Tower for the first time was<br />
horrendous and I was incredibly moved by the tributes<br />
and messages about missing people around the area.<br />
My job was to volunteer shortly afterwards at a local<br />
‘I just showed<br />
kindness and<br />
empathy which<br />
is something<br />
everyone can do’<br />
centre for people caught<br />
in the tragedy, welcoming<br />
them and signposting to the<br />
organisations who could<br />
provide help with counselling,<br />
food and financial support.<br />
“We were sitting down<br />
with people, comforting them and just being a friendly face.<br />
Many people were understandably distraught while others<br />
were angry and we were there to listen. I felt so proud to<br />
help, especially as I’d never done anything like this before.<br />
I just showed kindness and empathy which is something<br />
everyone can do.<br />
“This experience made me much more confident as I<br />
realised I could actually help and be involved. I’ve made a lot<br />
of changes to my life since Grenfell, including signing up as a<br />
Red Cross community reserve volunteer to step in if there’s<br />
a disaster, such as a large flood or fire, in my area.”<br />
obviously comes with its<br />
own challenges for the<br />
volunteers, but Linda says<br />
the hardest thing is how fast<br />
everything moves.<br />
“One minute you’re sitting<br />
at home in front of the TV<br />
and then you’re in a disaster<br />
zone. You have to be resilient<br />
and quick to adapt. Then<br />
when you come home you<br />
have to take time to process<br />
everything as it can be<br />
overwhelming to be back.”<br />
But Linda says it’s worth<br />
it for the help she can give<br />
people when they’re in a<br />
moment of need. “I love<br />
what I do – it’s so rewarding.<br />
It’s amazing what a big<br />
difference a small gesture<br />
such as a cup of tea, or a<br />
kind word, can have on<br />
someone who’s scared<br />
and feeling alone. They<br />
always remember that and<br />
it helps enormously with<br />
their recovery.“<br />
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT<br />
13<br />
PICs: REX/SHUTTERSTOCK, ICRC