VOLUNTEERS are needed to give some time to the First Dorset Credit Union to help people cope with changes to the welfare system coming into force this winter.

Tasks include helping people set up a bank account or directing people to the local Job Club to help them find work.

Joyce Guest, general manager at North Dorset District Council, has been leading a pilot project to help steer the government’s biggest welfare reform to date, the introduction of Universal Credit.

She said: “Universal Credit will roll up a range of benefits into one, to simplify the system, reduce cost and encourage more people into work, but applicants will need to have a bank account and many people currently on benefits do not have one.”

The Credit Union can create savings accounts for people who may have difficulty setting up a bank account because of debt problems or other financial issues.

But it is time-consuming work and there are not always enough hands to get the work done, so the Credit Union is looking for volunteers to help.

The Gillingham and Bland-ford Job Clubs are also helping people find work, sometimes for the first time, but also for those returning to work.

This, too, is a time-consuming task and the clubs are seeking people who have time to spare to sit with job finders and help them create CVs and fill out job applications.

Volunteers should call Joyce at North Dorset council on 01258 454111.