THE British Red Cross has launched a campaign to recruit hundreds of volunteers willing to drop everything during a major emergency to help people in crisis in Clydebank.

When disaster hits, community reserve volunteers will form a practical taskforce, working as a team to do anything from filling sandbags to sorting food for their flooded community.

It is hoped the new teams will be able to provide valuable help if emergencies like the floods or power cuts from heavy snow were ever to be repeated.

Simon Lewis, head of crisis response for the Red Cross says: “We’ve seen through the sad events of this year, including the Manchester Arena and London Bridge attacks and the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the extraordinary levels of compassion shown by ordinary people from local communities, when a crisis hits.

“It shows you don’t need special skills to help others. Small acts of kindness, and coming together as a team, can make a huge difference.

“This project is a way of harnessing the goodwill and kindness of the public for future emergencies, by signing people up in advance.

“We would only call upon people at times of major local crisis, which hopefully won’t happen often, but when they do, and extra help is needed, people will have the opportunity to make a big difference. There are many different ways of helping your community, but this is a new one."

Visit redcross.org.uk/reserves. Volunteers must be over 18, have a mobile phone and be prepared to carry out practical tasks during an emergency.