Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District thanks volunteers for solving people’s problems and making a difference to their lives
Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District is celebrating the inspirational volunteers who dedicate their time to solving people’s problems and making a difference to their lives.
To mark Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June), the charity is shining a spotlight on the remarkable contribution of its team of 60 volunteers who give up their hours each week to help people find a way forward.
In the last year, Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District has helped more than 4,000 people with 11,000 problems, from housing and debt issues to benefits and employment rights.
The charity’s volunteers have played a crucial role ensuring people in Diss, Thetford, Eye, Harleston, Loddon and surrounding areas get the advice and support they need to get on with their lives.
Citizens Advice offers a wide range of voluntary opportunities for roles such as adviser, telephone assessor, receptionist, IT support, administrator and more.
Sonia joined Citizens Advice as a volunteer nearly 4 years ago. “‘When I started volunteering at Citizens Advice I was fairly new to the area. I wanted to volunteer initially to get involved in the local community and to support my studies as a law degree student. I found the staff and volunteers incredibly supportive and the training invaluable. I volunteered two half days a week for the first six months to become qualified as a gateway assessor and then as an accredited advisor. I went on to work with the Pension Wise team, and am now trained as a specialist in Debt issues.”
“I’m now employed by Citizens Advice as a Crisis Advice champion through our Big Lottery funded project. I enjoy supporting others, using the skills, training and experience I have gained to give back to the community – volunteering was invaluable as a foundation to my current role”
Becky Chapman, Training Supervisor at Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District added:
“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. We offer full training and on-going support.
“If you can spare a few hours each week, we’d love to hear from you.”
Nationally Citizens Advice relies on 23,000 volunteers who help provide support in 2,900 locations across England and Wales – helping 2.7 million people every year.
Thanks to contribution volunteers play in local Citizens Advice, two out of every three clients have their problem solved and four out of five say the advice received improved their lives.
If you’re interested in finding out more about volunteering with Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District contact Becky Chapman on 01379 644912 or email: support@disscab.cabnet.org.uk or online at: www.cadat.org.uk
