The nation’s biggest volunteer recruitment drive since the Second World War has been launched by a charity with the aim of boosting people’s mental health and giving them a “high”.

The Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) said that challenges facing the UK are "acute" with “unprecedented” pressure on public services. However today it has launched a major call up for the public to volunteer in a bid to boost people's' mental health.

This follows their survey of 1,000 people who already volunteer which found that most reported an increase in self-confidence and mental health.

The research found that 65% of volunteers claimed higher levels of happiness and the RVS added that the ‘high’ from volunteering was found to be as great as ‘runner’s high’ following exercise.

The RVS campaign aims to instigate “a cultural shift” so that volunteering becomes part of everyday life as it urged people of all ages and backgrounds to volunteer, following its research which showed that levels of loneliness and poor mental health were said to be highest among 18 to 24-year-olds.