Crossword Genius

Surrounded by many wanting to help out? (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

amid

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'surrounded by' is the definition.
(amid means among or surrounded by)

'many wanting to help out?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'many' could be 'm' (Roman numeral for a thousand) and 'm' is present in the answer.
'help' could be 'aid' (synonyms) and 'aid' is found within the leftover letters.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for amid that I've seen before include "'See . . . . the winter's snow' (carol)" , "Amongst" , "A dim sort of preposition" , "Among" , "In the middle of" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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