VOLUNTEERS who do everything from serving coffee to lending a listening ear to carers have been thanked for their work.

Carer Support Wiltshire held a tea party in Devizes Town Hall on Friday to acknowledge the many hours of unpaid work done by the volunteers.

The charity is helped by 74 volunteers who between them gave nearly 2,500 hours of support to carers who look after family members or friends. Certificates were awarded to ten volunteers including Jan Lawrence from Devizes.

She knows what it is like to be carer herself as she first looked after her mother, her brother and then her partner until his death. She now runs a carers' cafe in Devizes.

She said: "I heard about Carer Support Wiltshire through my GP, and they were a huge help in getting paid carers in to support me. After my partner died I carried on going to the carers’ cafe and a friend suggested I help, which I have been doing now for some time."

Laraine Marriott, acting chair of trustees for Carer Support Wiltshire, presented the volunteers with their certificates. She said: "Our volunteers are absolutely priceless, and we could not manage without them."

Goughs Solicitors donated cakes for the event, provided a speaker for the day to help answer any questions and also organised a company bake-off to add an element of fun.

Emma Taylor, a partner at Goughs Solicitors, said: "It is our wills and personal injuries teams who in particular liaise with Carer Support Wiltshire, as there are often occasions where we will have carers among our clients and we are able to enhance our help for them by letting them know about the charity and the support they offer."

Carer Support Wiltshire is keen to recruit more volunteers. Anyone interested in helping can find more details on the website at www.carersinwiltshire.co.uk or by calling Freephone 0800 181 4118.