Home guard

The British public are being urged to sign up to a scheme to respond to terror attacks in their local towns as it emerged the British Red Cross had one of its busiest post-war years in 2017. Two London terror attacks, the Manchester bombing and the Grenfell Tower disaster meant the charity assisted 9,300 people last year. The Red Cross and Aviva hope to recruit 10,000 community reserve volunteers in Britain by the end of 2019.

Actress Amanda Redman, left, is backing the campaign. She said: “As a community reserve volunteer, you would only be called upon if there’s a crisis in your area. Even the smallest acts of kindness can make a big difference.”