Volunteers are carrying out vital work on the front line in time of crisis

Now more than ever, we are seeing the importance of charity and how it is a force for good in our society. People are queuing up to volunteer and play their part in this crisis. Big, well-organised charities which have been around for years, like St John Ambulance and the British Red Cross, are doing vital work on the front line, as are countless smaller charities and new community support groups. Other charities such as women’s refuges and the Samaritans are continuing to provide vital services to those who rely on them and need them now more than ever, while others such as hospices and air ambulances are essential to alleviating pressure on the NHS.

At this time, we are seeing how fantastically generous the UK public is. But we are also witnessing the devastating consequences when the public is unable to support charities,

Donations to or purchases from charity shops is not possible now they are all closed. The opportunity to sponsor friends and family participating in marathons, fun runs, climbs, midnight walks and thousands of other events in support of a good cause has gone. Coffee mornings, raffles, and thousands of small events we organise in the name of charity have been cancelled. Let’s hope that we will still see Royal British Legion volunteers selling poppies come October, but those who sell daffodils in aid of Marie Curie at this time every year are not able to do so.

Recognising the value of charity to society, the Government has already enabled charities to access some of the financial support it is offering to businesses and if they can go further, I hope they will. For its part, the Charity Commission is trying to lift some of the short-term regulatory burden on charities. Charities will face some tough decisions in the weeks and months ahead and the Charity Commission will support charities to merge or consolidate if that becomes necessary so they can keep serving their beneficiaries.

At the Charity Commission, we urge anyone who wants to donate money to a good cause to do so to a registered charity, as that means you can be assured the funds raised are regulated. The Daily Telegraph has launched its own appeal for two registered charities. And the National Emergencies Trust, which the Charity Commission helped set up after the Grenfell tragedy, has so far raised £16million. The NET, working with the British Red Cross and the UK Community Foundations, is getting people’s cash straight to local charities and grassroots organisations on the front line all around the country.

Just as in the world of business, the charity sector that emerges on the other side of CV-19 will have been changed by it. The commission stands ready to make sure that what makes charity special and the benefit it delivers continues to enrich our society.

Baroness Stowell is the chairman of the Charity Commission