"Amazing People" has been pioneered by the South Yorkshire Open Forum, an umbrella funding body for the voluntary sector, and aims to help break down the barriers for people interested in volunteering.

Working in close conjunction with Voluntary Action Sheffield, Doncaster CVS, Voluntary Action Rotherham and Voluntary Action Barnsley, Amazing People offers a single point of contact for anyone interested in finding out more about South Yorkshire's voluntary sector – sometimes referred to as the third sector – and the important role it plays in the local community.

One of the organisations hoping to benefit from the initiative is Groundwork Dearne Valley.

On the rewards of volunteering, Groundwork's Rob Saw said: "As a project draws towards completion, it is great to see local area committees being set up in

their own right and meeting regularly. It shows a sense of responsibility for the new developments and often leads to sense of empowerment, ownership, but perhaps most importantly of all – pride in their local area. It can be very rewarding work."

Amazing People has been developed to help provide a single resource for voluntary organisations, helping them to get in touch with people interested in volunteering, as well as helping provide a resource for businesses interested in working with social enterprise organisations, or simply supporting a local good cause.

Sarah Tyler, director of South Yorkshire Open Forum, said Amazing People hopes to become the definitive resource for anyone interested in getting involved with the third sector.

She explained: "By creating Amazing People we wanted to create a single point of contact for South Yorkshire's voluntary sector. There are literally thousands of people throughout the region involved with the third sector, which varies from individuals giving up a few hours of their time each week, to social enterprises which are investing hundreds of thousands of pounds into the local economy.

"Amazing People is the first attempt to provide such a service in South Yorkshire and I am confident that it will become an important reference point for anyone wanting to find out more about the variety of services available through third sector organisations.

An event designed to showcase the work of Amazing People will take place on June 2 as part of National Volunteer Week. To register a place at this event, please contact admin@syopenforum.org.uk or telephone 01709 519100. The Amazing People website is at www.amazingpeople.org.uk