Volunteers thank police

Durham Constabulary has undertaken the vetting of hundreds of volunteers

Darlington Support, the local charity behind the 6,000-strong Facebook group "Coronavirus Support for Vulnerable Darlington", expressed their gratitude to the local police force for reviewing hundreds of applications from volunteers who wished to help the community.

Kimberley Scott, one of the co-founders of the charity, said: "When we started Darlington Support, we wanted to be absolutely certain that our volunteers are fully vetted to ensure the safety of the residents whom we are supporting.

"Because of our partnership with Darlington Borough Council and Durham Constabulary, we were able to rely on the police to check the many applications that we received from volunteers who would like to give something back. Therefore, we are extremely grateful for the huge amount of work that has been put in to safeguard our residents."

George Jabbour, the other co-founder of Darlington Support, added: "Every volunteer who has been helping our community had to go through a rigorous process to ensure that they keep themselves and our residents safe whilst having a rewarding gratifying experience.

"In addition to the vetting process, the volunteers had to complete an application form and read through instructions and guidance about the best practices that they need to follow while conducting the various activities on behalf of our residents, such as shopping, dog-walking and befriending. Furthermore, the volunteers benefit from the support and mentoring that they receive from their area coordinator and are provided with the tools that they need to be able to help our community."