Charity looking to recruit volunteers

Airdrie volunteer Courtney Rice is urging the Monklands community to answer a call to support a new volunteer recruitment campaign by charity Victim Support Scotland.

The initiative, which aims to recruit more than 200 volunteers across the country, comes as demand for support volunteers in a variety of roles increases following the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Victim Support Scotland launched its campaign during last week’s national Volunteers’week 2021, which thanked the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering each year.

The charity is experiencing an increased demand for volunteers for a variety of roles in the Scottish courts, and in local communities, to provide support to victims and witnesses.

Courtney, a volunteer in Airdrie, welcomed the campaign, saying:“i studied sociology and criminology at the University of Stirling and wanted to volunteer in an area close to my studies and interest in criminology.

“I’ve had the opportunity to see how a court runs first-hand and gain more knowledge in a career sector of interest to me.

“I now have a greater knowledge of how to deal with vulnerable witnesses, nervous people going through trauma and how to support them.

“Working with children has been of particular note as they can’t communicate as an adult can and I’ve had to adapt my communication style accordingly, helping them be at ease in a court setting and to tell their truth in a legal environment with the least stress possible – all valuable learnings for me.

“Victim Support Scotland truly has offered an insight into the career path I wanted to pursue in the criminal justice sector while enabling me to make a difference, helping to support victims and witnesses of crime as well as their families.”

New volunteers will learn about the courts and the wider criminal justice system, undertake an extensive training programme, and commit to eight hours per week.