FOUR new volunteers at a local charity have completed a ten-week training course to help them provide support to families in the community.

Home-Start Okehampton is a local charity that provides support, friendship and practical assistance to families, visiting them in their own homes and helping to encourage and reassure parents in order to help their children.

Louise Bol, Home-Start Okehampton coordinator, said: 'We can take referrals from anybody — health professionals, social services, and often parents themselves — and then offer support tailored to the needs of the family.

'Our volunteers can offer help in many ways. For some isolated families, all they want is somebody to visit and talk to them. Other families need practical or emotional support and help with children, and we also deal with more serious cases involving complex situations.

'These four new volunteers have now completed the ten week course, which will allow them to help keep the service going.

'We're always looking for more volunteers.

'The only criteria is that you must either be a parent or have parenting experience. We're looking for people of any age and from any walk of life. If you have two or three hours a week to volunteer, we'd love to hear from you.

'We're also looking for trustees to sit on a management committee.'

The charity receives the majority of its funding from Okehampton United Charity, and also receives funds from a lottery grant and the Northbrook Community Fund.

More information on the services provided by Home-Start, as well as details on volunteering, are available from the charity's website at http://www.homestartokehampton.org.uk">www.homestartokehampton.org.uk