CARING charity Cotswold Friends is looking for volunteers to help them provide a wide friendship and caring service across the district and is holding a open day for people to go along and find out how they can get involved.

The Volunteer Open Day on Thursday June 4, which coincides with Volunteer Week, will give people an opportunity to find out what the charity does, including community transport, befriending and carer respite, lunch and social clubs.

Befriending services manager Kirsty Holder said: “Anyone can volunteer. Our youngest volunteer is 17 years old and our oldest 88 years.

"People volunteer for a number of reasons. It can be a great way of getting work experience, to help gain employment or get into a university. For some volunteers it’s a way of putting something back into their local community, meeting new people. If you are retired, you have skills and experience that could be used to help support some of the more vulnerable people living in your village or town. It’s good for your health, too. A study by the Royal Voluntary Society found that volunteer ing is good for your physical and mental health. Some insurance companies even offer lower premiums to volunteers because of this.”

Bourton resident Denise Ogden has been a volunteer at Cotswold Friends for three years. She is part of the carer respite team providing a weekly visit to one of the friends so allow the full-time carer a break.

“I had been running a local, weekly lunch club for a number of years and when we had to close it, due to some of the volunteer helpers becoming older than our clients, I decided to offer my time to befriending," she said.

Mr Ogden said she chose Cotswold Friends because it was a worthwhile service and it was local and already knew a few people doing it.

"The best thing about volunteering is meeting clients and getting to know their stories; knowing that you are giving the carers the opportunity for some time to meet friends or just even to do the weekly shop," she added.

Charity general manager Beth Johnson said: “We have a number of volunteering opportunities at Cotswold Friends. A lot of people don’t think they have the time to volunteer, but just an hour a month can make a difference. We are currently looking for volunteer drivers, befrienders, IT mentors and helpers at our lunch and social events. There is no personal care involved, we offer full training and support and any out-of-pocket expenses. There is even the opportunity for training as a dementia link worker or in first aid. If you are interested , come along to our open day for coffee, cake and a chat. If you can’t make the day, call us on 01608 651415 or look at our website, www.cotswoldfriends.org. The open day is at The Library, Stow Road, Moreton, between 10am and 3pm.