Ashfield Citizens Advice needs more volunteers as it expands its service

Ashfield Citizen’s Advice is moving from strength to strength at its new base - but is still desperate for more volunteers to cope with an expected increasing demand.
Emma Greatorex 20 is an apprentice at Ashfield Citizens Advice.Emma Greatorex 20 is an apprentice at Ashfield Citizens Advice.
Emma Greatorex 20 is an apprentice at Ashfield Citizens Advice.

The service has been based at Ashfield Health and Wellbeing Centre in Kirkby since August after moving from Sutton.

Ashfield Citizens Advice has benefitted from a £300,000 Big Lottery grant which will pay for more staff, two apprentices and a mobile information vehicle.

It is also almost doubling its opening hours.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But Service Manager Janis Abraham says she expects demand for advice to increase.

She said: “The biggest problem is the bedroom tax where people are finding themselves in rent arrears and are having to rely more and more on food banks. The current changes in Universal Credit are just starting to affect people who are new onto benefits. There is a whole raft of complicated changes coming gradually over the next two to three years and people will need advice.”

Ashfield currently has around 40 volunteers but is always looking for more. Visit http://www.ashfieldca.org.uk/.