Readers of this column may recall that some time ago I referred to the wonderful and varied army of volunteers who kept charities afloat in this area.

From hospital cars to WRVS Meals on Wheels, from charity shops to helping out in the hospices, men and women turn up day after day, in fair weather and even more so in foul weather, simply out of the goodness of their hearts to contribute to the community in which they live.

It is fair to say that these people are over the age of 50 and that many of them would prefer to be still working in their chosen careers.

But, at an age when many of us might feel that we had really got the right kind of experience to train others in our skills, suddenly paid work may have been snatched away from us.

So, rather than waste our lives and our abilities, many of us in the Third Age turn to the very satisfying world of voluntary work.

Suddenly the present Government has discovered this army of people and decided that they should be mobilised to do all sorts of jobs, helping out in schools, running errands in hospitals, doing a wide variety of jobs which might be expected to carry a wage.

Hurrah, I hear you shout, I am suddenly employable even though I am of a mature age. I wish that were true.

The Government has decided that you should be eligible for such jobs but should do them as volunteers.

But there is now a hidden tiger trap awaiting you, should you decide to apply for one of these 'community jobs'.

In spite of the fact that you are very likely to be doing exactly the same job that you were doing as a 'private' volunteer and will still not get paid, you may be asked to pay a sum of somewhere in the region of £10 so that you may be the subject of a police check.

You may be asked to pay this sum, not your prospective employer!

You are still being asked to work for nothing (after all, you are over 50 and probably unemployable) and in addition you are being asked to subsidise the Government by paying to be investigated when last week it was fine for you to drive someone to hospital or deliver a much-needed meal to the home of an elderly and defenceless person (whom we may now assume you intended to rob).

It does seem an odd way to show your appreciation of the work of this large pool of voluntary workers to tell them that all these years they have obviously been quite the wrong sort of folk to be allowed to give their time and energy freely to help those in need.

This bunch of unemployable people have saved the Government untold sums by doing what they do with a good heart and spirit.

To be told that, in the first place they must all have a police check, and in the second place that they must meet the cost of it beggars belief.

If you want to serve the community on your own terms, fine.

To be required to do it at the behest of the Government and pay for the privilege is simply not on.

Give these people a proper job and pay them a proper wage if you want them to work. Otherwise leave them alone to do what they enjoy doing freely.