A charity is looking for new volunteers across Dorset to tackle homelessness and family breakdowns in the county.

Caring for Communities and People (CCP) is launching a new campaign to expand its network of volunteers across Dorset in its mission to prevent the causes and reduce the effects of homelessness, family breakdown and exclusion.

The charity has its head office in Cheltenham but delivers services and projects across Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, South Gloucestershire, Bristol, Wiltshire and Dorset and Teignbridge.

The charity initiative, ‘Be There’, is encouraging people of different ages and backgrounds to help deliver support services to families in, or about to enter, crisis.

Dorset Echo: Volunteers and staff working for Caring for Communities and People

Volunteering opportunities through ‘Be There’ range from befriending a parent who is isolated and overwhelmed, to offering an extra pair of hands during stressful times in the home, e.g. mealtimes or leaving for school.

Daniel Chun, Director of Social Value and Engagement said “‘CCP has an excellent track record of recruiting, training, and deploying volunteers to meet the existing and emerging community needs that we are all concerned about. We know people and families are struggling more than ever, and volunteers allow us to reach more people, as early as possible.

"It has been much tougher to recruit since the end of lockdown, however, we urge that volunteering is simply the act of ‘being a good neighbour’ and that for a few hours per week volunteers can make a tremendous difference to an individual or family who are isolated and struggling to receive the support they need.

“We want to mobilise community members to take action into their own hands and become a force for good through volunteering.”

People can register their interest by visiting the charity website: www.ccp.org.uk/volunteering