CITIZENS Advice East Hampshire is celebrating the inspirational volunteers who dedicate their time to solving people’s problems and making a difference to their lives.

To mark this month’s Volunteers’ Week (June 1-7), the charity shone a spotlight on the remarkable contribution of its team of more than 100 volunteers who give up hours of their time each week to help people find a way forward.

The Petersfield-based team welcomed the town mayor, Jamie Matthews, to their offices for tea and cake. In the last year, Citizens Advice East Hampshire has helped more than 5,500 people with nearly 15,000 issues: from housing and debt issues to benefits and employment rights.

Its volunteers have played a crucial role ensuring people in Liphook, Grayshott, Bordon, Petersfield, Alton and surrounding villlages get the advice and support they need to get on with their lives.

Citizens’ Advice offers a wide range of voluntary roles – from advisers to administrators and trustees.

Arthur, who started volunteering with CAB approximately eight years ago, said: “As a volunteer, I enjoy the support of my colleagues and being able to give something back to the whole community.

“During my years here I have gained a huge amount of knowledge and a much better understanding of the public and their needs.”

Helen Drake, chief executive, at Citizens Advice East Hampshire, said: “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. 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 East Hampshire contact Becky Wright on 01420 544807 or by email: [email protected].