Bradford Court Chaplaincy has been running for a year at the Law Courts

Twelve months after Bradford courts became the first in the country to have their own chaplaincy, they are looking for more volunteers to expand the service.

Twenty five extra people are needed to run the service in the city.

Development Officer Bryan Rulton says the chaplaincy has proved successful.

He says: "We need to expand into the crown and county courts and we are also dealing with many people in the magistrates court."

Bryan says the volunteers need to be good listeners, and be able to discover the root cause of why people are before the courts.

He says: "We need helpers willing to sit alongside people and listen to them because people often just want to unload their burdens before they go into court."

The role of the chaplaincy is to identify the needs of those at court and point them towards someone who can help them.

Many of the people using the service have what the chaplains describe as "lifetime baggage."

Bryan says volunteers can come from all backgrounds.

He says: "The chaplaincy is not faith-based. It deals with people of all faiths and no faith, so it doesn't matter what your thoughts are, or what your beliefs are"

Chaplains are stationed in the concourse of the courts, but they don't aim to force the service onto people.

The offer is there, we offer the ability to talk and have someone to listen. Bryan Rulton, Bradford Court Chaplaincy

Bryan points out: "We just sit there. Most of the other agencies on the concourse are behind a desk. We just have a poster with our photographs saying who we are. Sometimes people are referred to us by ushers or even the justices themselves.

"There are obviously those who don't want to be bothered, those who say they are fine, but the offer is there. We offer the ability to talk and have someone to listen."

Once a need is identified by the chaplains, they use a database which has details of how agencies can be of help to people. The team have a number of examples of where help has been given over the past year.

For instance, 'Amjad', a man in his mid-thirties, approached the chaplain asking if he was a solicitor. The chaplain explained who he was and what the chaplaincy service could offer.

Amjad then revealed that he had an alcohol problem. He disclosed that he drank up to six litres of cider everyday. He had not been to any agency before to seek support and said his father was also an alcoholic.

He stressed that, because he was a Muslim, he was very ashamed of the state he was in and his family did not want anything to do with him. He said he had previously led a normal life and wanted to feel as if he belonged again. He had turned to alcohol only five years ago.

The chaplain made an appointment for Amjad at The Piccadilly Project, a Bradford-based organisation dealing with people who have alcohol problems. He promised he would go immediately after leaving the courts. The chaplain also asked him if he would come back to court to let the chaplaincy know of his progress.

The Chaplaincy offers spiritual support alongside the justice system

New volunteers undergo a thirteen week training course, for half a day each week. During that time, they are given information about the court and its procedures and are shown temples, mosques and churches to get a sense of where people are coming from.

The chaplaincy enjoys funding from a number of charities, Bradford Council and the West Yorkshire Methodist District. It is held up by the Ministry of Justice as the "Bradford model".

Funding is not easy to come by according to Bryan Rulton: "More people are going after the same money and this will happen with any community activity."

To find out more or to volunteer ring 01274 722422 during office hours or email bryan.rulton@bradfordcourtchaplaincy.org.uk

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