Charity thanks volunteers for tireless support
CITIZENS Advice Halton has thanked volunteers for giving up their time to solve other residents’ problems and making a difference to their lives.
To mark Volunteers’ Week from June 1-7, the charity has been shining a spotlight on the contribution of its team of 30 supporters who devote 350 hours a week to helping clients.
A CAH spokesman said that in the last year, the bureau has helped 6,602 residents with 16,675 problems from housing and debt issues to benefits and employment rights.
He said the charity’s volunteers also played a crucial role ensuring Widnes and Runcorn’s inhabitants receive the advice and support they need to plough on with their lives.
Citizens Advice has voluntary roles ranging from IT support and advisers to administrators and trustees.
The spokesman said that volunteers have achieved a success rate of two out of three clients having their problems solved and four out of five saying the advice they received improved their lives.
Anne Forsyth, started volunteering at Citizens Advice Halton after she retired.
She said: “I really enjoy being part of team that makes a real difference to the community and helping people sort out problems that have been holding them back.
“I have learned lots of new skills and made many friends and I definitely recommend it to anyone who has some spare time and wants to give something back to the community.”
Hitesh Patel, Citizens Advice Halton chief officer, said: “Thanks to our amazing volunteers we are able to continue making a huge difference to people’s lives.
“Our volunteers give up their time for free to help people who may be going through problems to get back on their feet.
“Volunteering also brings its own rewards and is a great way to meet new people and learn new skills.
“If you can spare a few hours each week, we’d love to hear from you.”
Nationally, Citizens Advice relies on 23,000 volunteers to provide support across England and Wales, helping 2.7m clients every year.
To find out more, email advice@citizens advicehalton.org.uk or call 0151 257 2443.