Grant boosts drugs charity

7:00pm Tuesday 20th May 2008

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A Bradford drug treatment charity is looking to recruit 20 new volunteers after securing a cash grant.

More than 470 organisations across the country put in a bid for funding from Volunteering England but The Bridge Project, based in Salem Street, was one of only 15 projects which were successful.

Thanks to the grant of £100,000 over three years, a recruitment drive is now under way to find new volunteers who have a desire to spend time helping and supporting local drug users and their families make positive changes in their lives.

Development worker Pat Staunton said the new army of volunteers would work across the Bradford district helping in Bridge's many different services.

"We need volunteers to help in our day care centre which we want to open in the evenings and at weekends from September," she said.

"Or volunteers could help in our needle exchange, on home visits or work in reception greeting clients, taking details and making people feel welcome.

"They could support our carers' service, the women's clinic or work in the gym - we really are a one-stop shop."

Volunteers do not need professional qualifications but Pat said it was vital they had a non-judgmental attitude and a willingness to learn and work under supervision. "They need to commit to around four hours a week but if they can give more then that is great," she said.

John Staunton, volunteer co-ordinator, said: "Because we are a charity we are limited in the number of people we can have in paid employment.

"The volunteers will free up staff time and mean we can open for more hours. From the volunteers point of view, they get experience and feel good about doing something useful in society, which could lead to employment."

Pat added: "We have a comprehensive training programme, which covers everything from drug and alcohol awareness, mental health awareness, managing violence and aggression, equal opportunities, confidentiality and child protection."

Bridge welcomes volunteers who have experience of problematic drug use in the past, but they must have been living drug-free in the community for at least a year.

Haroon Sabir, 31, of Keighley, has lived drug-free for two years and now wants to give something back to Bridge by volunteering.

He said: "I want people to see you can get there and sort yourself out. If you have the right support there is nothing you can't do."

James Sammon, 39, of Bingley, is another prospective volunteer who used to have a drug problem, after achieving success in the music industry in the 1990s.

He had a number six hit in the UK charts and appeared on Top of the Pops under the alias of Pianoman with his single Blurred.

He said: "I ended up with a massive cocaine habit. I lost a lot of people around me and ended up with depression."

It was finding a friendly ear to talk to which provided James with the motivation to quit. He said: "I had the wrong attitude but he made me feel better and allowed me to talk and it lifted my self-esteem. There is always a reason why people end up where they are and I understand that."

For Caroline Sykes, 37, working as a drugs officer is something she has always wanted to do but never had the opportunity.

"My little girl is four now and is going to school in September and I have not forgotten what I wanted to do," she said.

Pat added: "New volunteers bring freshness and energy. They are motivated and inject that into the areas where they are volunteering."

Dennis Treleaven, head of grant making and funding for Volunteering England, said: "Our grants systems are very oversubscribed and we are always forced to make difficult choices between excellent projects.

"The Bridge Project impressed the grant committee with its proposal to use former service users to support current service users in a befriending project for people with substance misuse issues in Bradford city centre.

"We were particularly impressed with the multi-agency approach and the close co-operation evident between the organisation and local primary care trust in delivering this much needed volunteering project."

For information or to apply to become a volunteer contact John Staunton at The Bridge Project, 35 Salem Street, Bradford, BD1 4QH or call (01274) 723863 ext 330.