Citizens Advice East Berkshire celebrates volunteers who’ve given more than 19,112 hours of their time to their community
Citizens Advice East Berkshire has revealed that its volunteers gave more than 19,112 hours of their time to help make a difference to the people across the Bracknell, Maidenhead, Windsor and Slough areas in the last year. This comes as the charity continues to see record demand for its services.
The new research found that the accumulated hours of volunteering time was worth £434,886. Among other contributing factors, the value of their work contributed £25,327 to the local economy as well as £35,526 to the NHS – helping to bring the total value of volunteering at the service to £650,132.
Last year the charity saw unprecedented demand, supporting 6,013 people in East Berkshire. It can only do this work thanks to its 68-strong team of volunteers.
Nationally, 9 in 10 volunteers say that volunteering at Citizens Advice has given them a sense of purpose while 42% say it boosts their confidence and mental health.
Citizens Advice was created during the Second World War. Volunteers ran the service, helping people with issues relating to the loss of ration books, homelessness and evacuation. Fast forward 85 years and volunteers remain a crucial part of the charity.
Citizens Advice East Berkshire is on the lookout for new recruits from all backgrounds who can give their time to help people struggling with energy prices/ rising household bills/ housing problems, debt and all kinds of issues.
The charity says no specific experience is necessary as full training will be provided. Many volunteers include people getting back into work after career breaks; people with part-time jobs; students; carers; parents and people who’ve retired.
Callum Pirson, Media and Communications volunteer, at Citizens Advice East Berkshire who has volunteered for almost 12 years alongside his full-time job, said:
I volunteer for CAEB in my free time and at home, I started it to gain work experience on my CV to help me land a job after university. I enjoy working with such a friendly bunch of people that help each other out and are supportive of each other. We are all working towards the same goal of helping as many people in need as we can. We are always striving to improve and do more.
As well as volunteers to offer advice to people in person, online or over the phone there are opportunities for people to provide expertise such as administrative support, form filling, fundraising, and as trustee company secretary. See caeb.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer/ for more information.
Bill Feeney, Interim CEO at Citizens Advice East Berkshire, said:
Volunteers are at the heart of how Citizens Advice East Berkshire supports our local community. The value volunteers add to our service, and to the lives of people needing support, can be life-changing.
We also hear how much our volunteers get back personally from giving their time: whether it’s the enjoyment of working as a team, learning new skills or campaigning on issues close to their heart. The dedication and commitment volunteers show to helping make a difference, particularly when demand for our help is so high, is incredible. We simply couldn’t do it without them.
To find out more and apply, visit: caeb.org.uk or contact comms@caeb.org.uk