Local charity Vital Talk Orkney Counselling Service has received a grant of £2,500 from Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland, one of the leading grant-giving trusts in the country.

The Foundation supports and works in partnership with registered charities operating in Scotland which are clearly focused on improving the quality of life for people who are disadvantaged or at risk of becoming disadvantaged.

Vital Talk provides professional counseling for adults aged 16 years and over, whose wellbeing may be affected by emotional difficulties. The Service is proving to be in great demand, with the majority of people using the service hearing about it from a friend, a colleague or at their local church.

The four counsellors who started up the service in July 2012, with the support of several churches in Orkney, have recently added to their team and taken on a fifth counsellor.

Secretary Karen Williams says, “The counsellors, who are all volunteers, are absolutely delighted at the success of the application. The grant will help to cover running costs such as the counsellors’ professional practice supervision fees, room hire and travel expenses. This will allow them to continue to provide counselling at several locations across Orkney, making it easier for clients living in the more remote areas to access the service”.

Andy Fraser, chairperson adds "I want to thank Lloyds TSB especially on behalf of the Vital Talk Trustees for their support. It's a recognition of the level of professionalism of this latest addition to counselling services available to the public in Orkney.

It's also great to see that a service offered by Christian counsellors isn't being used only by church people. Around half of the clients have no church connection, and all say without fail how much they have been helped."