VOLUNTEER COLUMN: Help to keep an eye on crumbling roads

West Sussex County Council is recruiting community highway volunteers to keep an eye on the roads in their neighbourhood.

The council would like to train and support local people to inspect specific highway defects within an agreed distance from a volunteer’s home or place of work. They will be trained to accurately record details of the defect, photograph it and sent the information back to the county highways department. Expenses will be paid.

For more information on this and other volunteer vacancies, contact Derek Moore, Arun Volunteer Centre co-ordinator, telephone 01903 731223, e-mail [email protected] or call in at the centre on the ground floor, Bradbury Centre, 1-5 St Martin’s Lane, Littlehampton, from 9am-4pm on Mondays and Thursdays and 9.30am-4.30pm, Wednesdays.

The Citizens Advice Bureau at Littlehampton is looking for volunteers to carry out initial diagnostic interviews when clients first come to the Advice Centre. Depending upon how the client is assessed, information will be given out over the phone or they may be referred for a full appointment.

Training for one and a half days per week for about six weeks is to become a gateway assessor, after which the volunteers will be able to start interviewing and assessing clients, with full support from a supervisor. Once trained, the volunteer is expected to commit to at least one day per week.

The charity, CCHF All About Kids, which gives disadvantaged children aged seven-11 years a range of residential activity and respite breaks, is appealing for volunteers to help with excursions and activities such as beach trips, Outward Bound challenges, bike rides, cooking, treasure hunts, swimming and arts and crafts.

These take place at various centres and volunteers need to be able to commit to at last one week or two weekends a year.

Street collectors are needed by the charity Inspiring Smiles, which is run and operated by predominantely disabled adults living in the UK, with the aim of helping the physically disabled to remain in, or return to their families and communities within rural Thailand.

No hard selling is involved, just coin donations and handing out charity stickers and flyers. Interviews will be in Chichester, with travel expenses paid.