VOLUNTEERS are needed in Redditch to help a charity which supports parents who have lost a child over the age of 16.

Parents Experiencing Adult Loss (PEAL), which was formed a year ago, is eager to recruit volunteers from Redditch to support bereaved adults.

The charity has just been awarded £3,500 by the Millennium Festival Awards for All and most of this money has been earmarked for the training of volunteers to be Bereavement Supporters.

But more volunteers are needed if the charity is to continue to flourish.

Recent research carried out by the charity has revealed volunteers are needed in Redditch more than almost anywhere else in Worcestershire as it has such a high rate of parents turning to the service for support.

Volunteers need to be good listeners, sympathetic and able to cope with strong emotions and distress.

Support services director Diana Williams said: "Volunteers will be meeting parents, perhaps for an hour a week, helping them to talk about what has happened and encouraging them to share their feelings.

"We don't call it counselling, in fact most people don't need counselling, they just need someone who can bear to hear what is happening."

No previous experience is needed as full training will be given to volunteers.

The charity is keen to recruit more men in Redditch as they are desperately needed to support fathers who have been bereaved and at the moment, it is mainly women who volunteer.

For more details or an application form, call Diana Williams on 01905 723001.