THE West Somerset Advice Bureau is hoping to recruit new volunteers to help it maintain its vital work.

The bureau has been providing impartial free advice on a wide range of issues for the last 35 years.

But now it is hoping to swell its team of trained volunteers who provide the service.

Bureau manager Georgie Reynolds said the volunteer advisers provided a critical support for people experiencing difficulty in their lives.

"We provide impartial free advice and help people to find the best solution to the issues that are confronting them," she said.

"Our clients can be experiencing difficulty with employment, consumer issues, as a carer, with a disability or one of a number of other issues.

"In many cases one issue can create additional problems for a client - for example, redundancy will often impact on a client's ability to meet household expenses."

Volunteer Geoff Lowe said working as an advisor was immensely rewarding:

"It is great to be able to help people find solutions to their problems and without the West Somerset Advice Bureau who can people turn to?"

The bureau's advisors come from a wide variety of backgrounds and no formal qualifications are needed.

Volunteer co-ordinator William Wake said a willingness to listen, be non-judgemental and to treat all information in the strictest confidence were the only requirements.

"Our volunteers are the lifeblood of the bureau and we do need to recruit more advisors in order to be able to continue to provide this critical service," he said.

"I would love to hear from anyone who can help."

The next training course for would-be advisers will begin on February 5 and lasts ten weeks.

Once training is complete, advisors have to volunteer for at least one six-hour session a week.

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Mr Wake at the bureau's Minehead base in Market House Lane, on 01643 704624 or email [email protected]">[email protected].