Gloucestershire Counselling Service (GCS) is offering a free training course - Introduction to Listening and Counselling Skills - to the people of Bishops Cleeve.

The course, funded by Tewkesbury Borough Council, is being offered to those living, volunteering or working in Bishops Cleeve who might not typically have access to this sort of training, but would like to develop these skills and use them for the benefit of the community.

The training is aimed at anyone who would like to improve their relationships at home or at work and develop their communication skills. It is ideal for people keen to explore what is involved in counselling and maybe going on to further training. Volunteers in a listening role or where they support others are also eligible and encouraged to apply.

Martha Mundy, community funding officer from Tewkesbury Borough Council, said: "The borough's Community Grant Working Group awarded GCS a grant last year to run the Introduction to Listening and Counselling Skills. We are delighted to see the course being run in Bishops Cleeve free of charge to the local community - we want to support the people that will most benefit from this training."

Joe Patel, New Ventures General Manager at Ecotricity and a recent course participant, said: "I learnt a lot on this course at GCS. I've always thought I had good listening skills, but this training took me so much further and it made me realise how much I wanted to develop my ability to really hear people, draw them out and communicate on a deeper level. It was a challenging experience but so rewarding and I'm keen to pass on my newly acquired skills at work."

The course is held at the St Michael's Centre on Thursday evenings, running over ten weeks starting on January 11th. To apply contact Jenny White or Rachael Fry at GCS: 01453 766 310 or training@gloscounselling.org.uk  www.gloscounselling.org.uk