A WYRE Forest charity is looking forward to the new year after receiving money from the Gannett Foundation.

Gannett – the American owner of Newsquest Media Group which publishes The Shuttle – has awarded Home-Start Wyre Forest a grant of £438.93.

The cash will pay for essential training equipment for volunteers at the charity, which provides support to parents of young children who are experiencing difficulties.

The equipment will include a new television with built-in DVD player and will allow Home-Start to upgrade its training resource from video to DVD format.

The resource is used for 10-week training courses which all of the charity’s volunteers undergo before being introduced to a family.

Manager Belinda Darby said: “This grant will have a longlasting impact, providing us with training resources over the next few years. Our volunteers need good quality training resources to complete their course and this gives us that.

“We were overwhelmed about getting the grant, particularly in the current climate.

“It is the sort of grant that will pay for something we couldn’t really afford to buy.”

The equipment will benefit about 25 new volunteers each year as well as its existing team of 92.

Family support charity Home-Start provides free and confidential support to parents experiencing difficult times.

It recruits parents who are trained, supported and supervised in the role of home visiting volunteers, offering befriending, practical and emotional support to vulnerable families in Wyre Forest.

For more information on Home Start, visit the website at homestartwyreforest.org.uk