Home Local News Citizens Advice seeks more volunteers to cope with growing demand

Citizens Advice seeks more volunteers to cope with growing demand

0

Demand for help from Citizens Advice in the area has increased by nearly 10% in the last year, leading the charity to launch a new appeal for volunteers throughout Chorley, South Ribble, West Lancs and Wyre.

The organisation was called on for assistance with 31,758 situations in the four districts in the 12 months to April, an increase of 9.22% on the previous year.

Cutbacks to local services, such as Welfare Rights and Trading Standards have meant more people have had to turn to Citizens Advice for assistance, so the need to recruit and train even more volunteers is vital to maintain the standard of service, according to Diane Gradwell, Chief Executive at Citizens Advice Lancashire West.

She explained: “Here and all around the UK, Citizens Advice depends on at least four volunteers for every one member of staff. We are actively seeking new recruits all the time because there is a continuing turnover of volunteers as people’s life circumstances change but the increasing demand on our services means we now need to recruit more people than ever.

“There are real benefits to volunteering as well as the satisfaction of knowing they are helping people in their community overcome all kinds of problems – many have gone on to find new jobs or promotion on the strength of the experience and training they have gained as Citizens Advice volunteers.

“Some may be put off volunteering because they think they may not have the ability but they will be all given full training and support, just as our existing volunteers are.”

The plea comes in the run up to Volunteers’ Week, an annual national celebration of the literally millions of unpaid voluntary workers without whom thousands of vital charities such as Citizens Advice could not survive.

Citizens Advice Lancashire West offers completely free, confidential and impartial advice to anyone in the Chorley, South Ribble, West Lancashire and Wyre districts on a range of topics including debt, housing, welfare benefit and a range of legal issues. Like all the others around the UK, it is an independent registered charity funded mainly by Local Authorities and other bodies. Serving a population area of nearly 500,000, it operates with around 30 paid staff and 150 volunteers. Some of these are full-time or part-time but all are fully trained and the organisation is independently audited to uphold predetermined standards.

The range of services can be accessed from anywhere in the four areas via one phone number, 0344 245 1294, at www.citizensadvicelancashirewest.org.uk and on social media, Twitter, Facebook and Google+ or simply by dropping in to any of the bureaux; opening times are given at each office.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here