A VITAL charity that works with families with a child under five has had to turn away 29 families over the last year in need of help.

Home Start West Dorset is an independent charity supporting families who live in Weymouth, Portland and West Dorset.

The charity's aim is to help parents, with a child under five, discover or rediscover the joy of parenting.

The charity has had to send away nearly 30 families over the past year due to a lack of volunteers.

However, the charity has now secured enough funding to hold two new volunteer training courses, with the first starting this September.

Helen Horsley, senior organiser at the charity, said: "During the 12 months we’ve been working with 82 families and 184 children.

"However, there are many families still asking for our help, particularly in the Weymouth, Portland and Bridport areas.

"With so many issues causing anxiety and stress these days, we know that our volunteers can make a huge difference. Often parents tell us that their weekly two to three-hour visits have provided a lifeline in a particularly difficult time."

Volunteer, Pat Barwell, has been working with Home Start for the past three years.

She said: "I think it’s an amazing organisation, and incredibly supportive of both the families it helps, and its volunteers. I thoroughly enjoy my visits, but also love being able to give back to the community and share my experience as a parent. I don’t currently have any grandchildren, so being able to help out with someone else’s children, and knowing I can make a real difference, is definitely a great substitute for now."

The only criteria for a volunteer are that they need to have had parenting experience and two to three hours to spare each week.

The training course lasts ten weeks and can be converted into a Certa Level 2 qualification.

For more information, call Home Start on 01305 265072 or visit homestartwestdorset.com