PEOPLE in need of counselling will have improved access to services thanks to a generous grant.

Community Counselling (North Yorkshire) Limited, which offers free counselling services to people living in Ryedale and Scarborough, has been awarded a grant of almost £8,000 by Awards for All England as part of the Big Lottery Fund.

The grant will mean improvements to counselling services and Community Counselling will be able to recruit and train new volunteer counsellors and enhance the skills of the counselling team.

Karen Chapman, chairman of the trustees, said: “This will help us to continue to improve waiting times and to achieve excellent outcomes for our clients.”

The grant will enable existing members of the team to receive training about sexual abuse and domestic violence.