2021: our UK work in numbers

Last updated 4 February 2022

The year 2021 was yet another challenging one for us all. While the steady success of the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out was one thing to be very thankful for, it was nonetheless a difficult year of ups and downs. 

But through those highs and lows, we were able to reach people going through the toughest of times, something we simply couldn’t have done without our incredible supporters.  

Whether you took part in a sponsored event, visited one of our shops, or donated your time or money, you kept us going in a year that provided new and existing challenges for the British Red Cross.  

Supporting people in staying independent

Winter is always the busiest time for our UK teams, who do everything from responding to severe weather events (like Storm Arwen in November), to helping ease pressure on the NHS by taking people home from hospital and reaching out to those struggling with loneliness. 

With your help, we were also able to support more than 25,000 refugees and people seeking asylum over the past year. 

You also helped us to provide over 26,000 wheelchairs in the UK, supporting people to stay independent when they might otherwise be unable. 

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Red Cross: our UK work in numbers

We have reached people up and down the country. This includes... 

• Making more than 19,000 food deliveries to people unable to get to the shops
• Making over 3,300 medicine deliveries to those who were isolating, shielding, or otherwise unable to pick up prescriptions
• Assisting over 20,000 people home from hospital via our Independent Living service 
• Supporting 1.8 million Covid-19 vaccinations
• Taking over 21,000 calls to our national support line. 

Our work won't stop there. For over 150 years now, the Red Cross has been there for people in crisis across the country - whether it's responding to the needs of people caught up in the aftermath of flooding, providing food and clothing after a house fire, or supporting someone whose livelihood has been badly impacted by Covid-19. 

The pandemic has been one of the biggest challenges we have ever faced, with our teams of volunteers adapting their ways of working to make sure that even with ever-changing rules and restrictions, they can continue to do what they do best. 

Since December 2021, we have seen a huge rise in demand across the board, which has been made worse by major staff shortages and illness across teams, as well as the agencies we work with. As we approach two years of responding to the pandemic, our resources are depleted.

It’s an incredibly challenging time, but donations to our UK Crisis Appeal will help our work to carry on. 

With energy prices on the rise, and hospitals reeling from the impact of Covid-19 as well as seasonal flu, a donation this winter will help as we try to reach even more people than we did in 2021. 

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