Citizens Advice Guildford And Ash Says: ‘We Need You!’

Published on: 23 Oct, 2022
Updated on: 26 Oct, 2022

By Anna Rogerson, advice services manager at Guildford and Ash Citizens Advice

Here at Citizens Advice Guildford and Ash we offer free, impartial, independent and confidential advice on issues such as debts, benefits, housing, employment, and relationships. We are here to help everyone, whoever you are, whatever your problem.

As food costs rise at an alarming rate and energy bills are sky high, families are struggling to make ends meet and we’re experiencing record-breaking demand for our services.

We’ve seen a 44% increase in the number of calls from people asking for help since the beginning of the year, and a 55% increase in cost-of-living enquiries.

During our first quarter in April, May and June we supported 1,405 clients, and answered nearly 274 more calls than the previous three months.

We wouldn’t be able to do this without the skill and dedication of our brilliant volunteers – but it’s getting busier, and we need around 30 more volunteers by the end of the year if we want to be able to support more of those who come to us for help.

It’s such a rewarding experience – you get an insight into how policies affect people’s lives, it helps build your skills and confidence to get back into work, and it’s a chance to give back to the community. And you get a lot of training and support to do your best!

We have a range of volunteer roles from being the first port of call for clients, to helping people apply for grants and benefits, or training to be an adviser on a specific issue.

And you can work from one of our offices in Guildford or Ash, or remotely from home.

If you are interested in exploring volunteering with us, please contact Zoe at recruitment@ca-ga.org.uk.

Watch this fantastic this video to get a taste of our volunteers’ experiences and what they do https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzbQJrDhs_M.

This is what some of our volunteers say about what being part of Citizens Advice Guildford and Ash means to them.

And if you need support from our advice service on any issue, we are of course happy to help – just phone our free Adviceline number on 08082 787 888 or fill out a webform on our website www.ca-ga.org.uk.

Responses to Citizens Advice Guildford And Ash Says: ‘We Need You!’

M Durant Reply

October 23, 2022 at 2:33 pm

The volunteers are brilliant but people would need to seek less help from them if the universal credit e pip forms had fewer and simpler questions to answer.

A disabled friend of mine had to fill in forms totalling nearly 40 pages with complex tricky questions, that should really be answered by a lawyer not by someone who is sick and disabled. Most of the questions are geared towards physical disability not mental illness.

I would love to know how many disabled and sick people have to ask for external help to fill in such complex and long forms? Why also the constant reviewing of their cases, if someone has a life long disability or illness?