A DRUG and alcohol charity has chosen the Bradford district to pioneer a new national drive for volunteers to work with the vulnerable adults it supports.

ARCH, which has its base at Shipley Town Hall, provides heath and wellbeing treatment services throughout the north of England, the Midlands, and Wales, and wants to have 100 volunteers in place across the country by 2016.

The first of those will be recruited and trained in Bradford, with an introductory session, led by the charity's first volunteer co-ordinator, Oliver Clark, taking place next Monday.

"The volunteer and mentor co-ordinator is a new role for ARCH and I am delighted to be the first person to take this on," said Mr Clark.

"Coming from a volunteer background myself, I feel strongly about the benefits a volunteer can provide, not only within the organisation, but also to the wider community.

"Volunteering with vulnerable adults provided me with a much needed confidence boost, a feeling of belonging, and an overwhelming sense of achievement.

"I feel confident I would not be where I am today without that experience.

"It is exciting to now be in a role where I have the chance to offer others the opportunity to experience something similar.

"ARCH’s volunteer programme is open to anyone regardless of history or background.

"We believe that this will provide us with volunteers with a wide variety of skill sets, knowledge bases, and personal experiences, as well as helping to break down the barriers between servicer users and the general public, and begin to challenge some of the stigma that the clients we work with will often face."

As part of his new role, Mr Clark will design and implement the new volunteer training programme, consisting of eight sessions over four weeks.

Sessions will cover topics such as drug, alcohol, and criminal justice awareness, boundaries and confidentiality, as well as various skills training sessions.

In addition to the core skills, extra sessions will be offered for those interested in group facilitation and drug testing.

If they complete the training, volunteers will be offered the chance of a placement with ARCH or a partner organisation in the wider community.

Steve Jones, the charity's chief executive, said: "We are delighted to be pioneering our new volunteer programme through ARCH Bradford.

"The programme recognises the significant contribution volunteers can make to our work with our service users, as well as the benefits for volunteers themselves.

"Many people feel disconnected or isolated from their communities, others simply want an opportunity to give back in some way.

"A well-supported volunteer programme with excellent training can do much to enhance not only the health and wellbeing and safety of individuals, but also that of their communities, which is the central focus of all our work.

"Having launched our volunteer programme in Bradford, we will be extending it to all our work throughout the North West, the Midlands and Wales."

For more details, or to book a place at the information day on August 17, which runs from 12.30pm to 2.30pm at Shipley Town Hall, contact Mr Clark on 01274 809800.