There was a comfy place to sit and chat in the centre of Newton Abbot on Wednesday (June 4) thanks to a touring sofa promoting volunteering.

Teignbridge Community and Voluntary Services (CVS) brought its sofa to Courtenay Street, along with cake, to celebrate National Volunteering Week.

‘We are trying to get people talking about volunteering and we’re finding out about people’s volunteering stories and how volunteering has helped them in their lives,’ explained Chloe Myers from Teignbridge CVS.

‘We’re also launching the second Stars of Teignbridge Awards where we will be celebrating those volunteers and some of the community organisations in Teignbridge.’ She added.

Anyone interested in volunteering in Teignbridge can visit devonconnect.org/Teignbridge to find information on a range of opportunities, events and groups.

One of the concerns people have about volunteering is the time commitment. ‘Lots of voluntary positions are really flexible,’ Chloe explained. ‘It might just be helping at an event a couple of times a year or it might be giving regular time every week or every month.’

Nominations for the Stars of Teignbridge Awards opened on Sunday (June 1). The awards were launched last year to recognise individuals and groups that make a difference to their local community. The winners will be announced at a glittering ceremony on November 7 at the Pavilions Teignmouth.

Nominations can be made via a simple form on the Teignbridge CVS website: teigncvs.org.uk/support/volunteering

The Sofa project began touring towns around Teignbridge last year to enable residents to chat to council staff and specialists about a range of issues, such as benefits, housing and council services.

The initiative was launched after research by Teignbridge District Council showed that many residents found it difficult to contact them.

Teignbridge CVS found that the sofa, where no appointment is necessary, helped people who struggle to access advice and help in more conventional ways.