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Citizens Advice

The Citizens Advice service helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free, independent and confidential advice, and by influencing policymakers.

Every Citizens Advice Bureau is a registered charity reliant on trained volunteers and funds to provide these vital services for local communities.

Citizens Advice service strategy 2008 - 2011 cover


Citizens Advice champions best volunteers

Volunteer of the year awards 2007

Volunteer of the year 2007 award winners

Trustee Gillian Dawson, Campaigner award winner Gemma Popejoy Lancaster CAB, Lifetime achievement award winner Patricia West Lincoln CAB, Young volunteer award winner Rebecca Martin East Staffs CAB, Trustee Gordon Pankhurst, Bureau support award winner Sheila Thomson Shirley CAB, Barbara Sykes and Margaret Ramage volunteer team award winners Eastleigh CAB, Adviser award winner Howard Batley Bath and district CAB, Margaret Bamford and Jean Valentine, trustee board award winners Worthing CAB.

An ex-army nurse and a law student who invented a game to help people understand how to budget money are amongst a group of volunteers who have received national recognition for their work in the Citizens Advice Volunteer of the Year Awards 2007.

Patricia West, an ex-army nurse and Rebecca Martin, a law student, were chosen by a panel of independent judges** and were three winners out of seven categories. Their award was presented by trustees Gillian Dawson and Gordon Pankhurst in front of 900 delegates at the charity’s annual conference in York this week.

The Citizens Advice Volunteer of the Year Awards 2007 category winners were:

  • Adviser: Howard Bately, Bath and District CAB

  • Bureau Support: Sheila Thomson, Shirley CAB

  • Lifetime Achievement: Patricia West, Lincoln CAB

  • Campaigner: Gemma Popejoy, Lancaster CAB

  • Volunteer Team of the Year: Rose Morton, Eastleigh CAB

  • Trustee Board:  Worthing CAB

  • Young Volunteer: Rebecca Martin, East Staffordshire CAB

Citizens Advice Chief Executive David Harker said:

“All our volunteers are amazing individuals who give up their time to make a contribution to the local community. But those who have picked up these awards have shown an extra special commitment.  The Volunteer of the Year Awards gives the whole Citizens Advice service a chance to celebrate their success.”

More than 20,000 of the 26,000 people who work for the Citizens Advice service are trained volunteers making it one of the largest voluntary organisations in the UK. Their efforts are worth an estimated £73million to the charity each year.

Volunteers come from all backgrounds, including working mothers, long term unemployed and retired people and work in a variety of roles across the service like trained generalist advisors, admin support and trustees.

Bureaux are always on the lookout for new volunteer recruits and anyone interested can contact the Citizens Advice Volunteer hotline on 08451 264264.

** The winners of the Citizens Advice Volunteer of the Year 2007 awards were chosen by a panel of independent judges.
These were:

  • Hilary Watkins – Citizens Advice Chair

  • Mark Restall - Volunteering England

  • John Ellis – Barnados

  • Sharon Tynan – Timebank

  • Giuseppina Colamarco – Youthnet

  • Joanna Theodoulou – v20

For media inquiries and images, contact Citizens Advice press office.


Notes to editors:

  1. The Citizens Advice service is a network of independent charities that helps people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers.
    For more information in England and Wales www.citizensadvice.org.uk
    For more information and 2008/9 service statistics see Introduction to the service
    For 2008/9 service highlights see the Citizens Advice service impact report
    For 2008/9 social policy campaigning highlights see the Citizens Advice social policy impact report
  2. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.
  3. Most Citizens Advice service staff are trained volunteers, working at over 3,300 locations across England and Wales.
  4. Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised 2 million clients on 6 million problems from April 2008 to March 2009
  5. Advice and information www.adviceguide.org.uk
  6. Volunteer hotline 08451 264264 (local rate)
  7. Citizens Advice Guide to your rights, second edition: January 2008 - over 600 pages of practical, independent CAB advice. An invaluable resource for any bookshelf - available from all good bookshops; price £11.99; ISBN: 9780141034089
  8. Follow Citizens Advice on Twitter: (New window) twitter.com/CitizensAdvice
  9. Subscribe to Citizens Advice press releases via RSS news feed: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/pressoffice