Asylum seekers and refugees new to Bradford will be welcomed by individual volunteers to help them settle in.

The service, provided by the Red Cross, was started yesterday and will help refugees with practical tasks such as registering with a doctor, finding hospitals and making sense of bus timetables.

An individual volunteer will be assigned to each new family or refugee.

The service will empower refugees and enable them to cope on their own.

Launched at the Carlisle Business Centre, over 100 people attended from various agencies as well as those wanting to become volunteers.

Kathryn Ashworth, services manager, said the aim of the orienteering scheme was to empower people and enable them to manage of their own.

"The immediate needs of the asylum seekers are taken care of, after that we are hoping to provide the emotional, practical and moral support they don't normally get."

The volunteer would go with individuals or families to key places such as registering with a doctor, going to the hospital and showing where the help desk is and if help needed with grants.

"It is not a befriending service but we can help refugees make their own social networks."

Jim Johnson, of Bradford Action for Refugees, said the service was very much needed.

"We have 1,300 refugees in Bradford from 64 nationalities. Our organisation provides stop gap help, the orienteering service will give practical help."

Rosemary Ward, refugee programme co-ordinator for the London branch of the orienteering scheme, said it was very successful.

She commented: "We have helped more than 600 families or individuals and more than half have become volunteers themselves. We help provide warm clothing, medical problems, tracing enquiry to find out where and how families left behind are and can arrange counselling. And having that one person who is a friendly face is a help to refugees."

Anyone who wants to become a volunteer is asked to call the service on (01274) 223293.