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When Colin Harmsworth first began exploring the idea that would eventually become the Joint Civil Aid Corps, he wasn’t planning to launch a national volunteer organisation. The starting point was on a much smaller scale, helping to create a local cadet force.
More than a decade later, that idea has evolved into a nationwide volunteer corps designed to support the UK’s emergency services during major incidents and crises. Along the way, Harmsworth has spent years navigating funding gaps, regulatory hurdles and the practical challenges of building an organisation almost from scratch.
His efforts have not gone unnoticed. At The Emergency Services Show 2025, Harmsworth was nominated several times for the Unsung Hero award, with nominees recognising not just his personal commitment, but the growing interest in the organisation he founded.
From cadets to civil defence
Harmsworth’s path into civil defence began somewhat unexpectedly. Originally involved with a group of veterans hoping to establish an independent cadet force, he soon found himself leading the project.
During a walk from the Ministry of Defence to the Underground following one meeting, Harmsworth began reconsidering the concept entirely. Instead of focusing on cadets alone, he turned his attention to civil defence. As he researched further, he became increasingly convinced that something was missing from the UK’s resilience landscape. “There was no realistic reserve for the emergency services,” he told me.
While organisations such as St John Ambulance and the British Red Cross provide vital volunteer support, Harmsworth believed there was still space for a different kind of structure that focused on broader civil defence capabilities and could operate nationally. “The idea is to support the emergency services, not to replace them,” he said.
Building a volunteer reserve
The concept behind the Joint Civil Aid Corps is to train volunteers as broadly skilled “generalists” who can assist during emergencies in a range of practical roles. That might include helping manage traffic at an incident, assisting with coordination tasks, or providing logistical support that frees up trained professionals to focus on specialist work.
“If there’s a major incident, the police may need to do other jobs,” Harmsworth explained. “Why would you want one stuck out stopping traffic if you can use a volunteer to do that?”
To make that possible, training has been a central focus from the outset. Volunteers receive cross-training across multiple disciplines so that responders can deploy them flexibly during an incident. Harmsworth hopes this professional approach will build trust with frontline services.
“My feeling was that society needed a disciplined, uniformed force so the professionals have the confidence to use them,” he said.
Establishing credibility has taken time. Over the past 13 years, Harmsworth has deliberately kept recruitment relatively limited while the organisation built its governance structures, training framework and national command model.
Today, the corps has around 260 members across the UK, ranging from retired professionals to university students. Many bring extensive experience from emergency services, the military or related sectors. The organisation’s structure reflects the realities of modern volunteering. Local “rally points” allow small groups to meet and train regularly, while larger regional stations coordinate activity across wider areas.
“Anyone, anywhere, can form a rally point,” Harmsworth told me, provided there are at least two members for safety reasons. The goal is to allow volunteers to train locally while still being part of a national system with consistent standards.
Obstacles along the way
Running an independent national volunteer organisation has not been straightforward. Funding remains one of the biggest hurdles. Because the corps does not neatly fit existing funding categories, securing grants has often proved difficult. The organisation has largely operated on a shoestring budget.
Insurance has been another major challenge. Unlike the emergency services or the military, which are covered by government-backed schemes, the Joint Civil Aid Corps must secure its own cover.
Training has also required rebuilding knowledge that largely disappeared when the UK’s original civil defence structures were wound down in 1968. Much of the historic documentation has been lost or scattered in private collections. As a result, much of the organisation’s training framework has had to be written from scratch.
Supporting a wide range of volunteers
Despite these obstacles, Harmsworth says the motivation of volunteers has been one of the most encouraging aspects of the project. Members come from a wide range of backgrounds and ages, united by a shared desire to strengthen community resilience. Some join because they want to give something back locally; others are motivated by a broader sense that communities need to be better prepared for emergencies.
Supporting those volunteers is also a priority. The organisation has built safeguards such as working in pairs where possible, clear communication structures, and an “open chaplaincy” that provides wellbeing support after difficult incidents.
Looking ahead
The long-term ambition is to create a reliable national volunteer reserve capable of supporting the UK during major emergencies and recover the UK’s national heritage of civil defence. That need, Harmsworth argues, is becoming more pressing as pressures on emergency services increase and the nature of risks, from extreme weather to large-scale incidents, continues to evolve.
Ultimately, what has sustained Harmsworth through more than a decade of work is a belief that the country still needs something like civil defence.
“In my heart I know what we’re doing is right,” he told me. “I see it as a need for the country.”
The corps is looking to build on its recruitment following the launch of several key projects that Harmsworth hopes will empower the public to develop resilience and preparedness for emergencies.
To find out more about he Joint Civil Aid Corps, visit their website.
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