Citizens Advice Leighton Linslade seeks chairperson and trustees to join team as demand rises due to pandemic

The advice service, based in Bossard House in West Street, is looking for new recruits to join its board of trustees, including a chairperson to lead the team.

Citizens Advice provides free information and advice to help anyone resolve their problems, including benefits, debt, employment, housing and consumer issues. It also works to improve policies and practices that affect people’s lives.

CALL is one of 300 local Citizens Advice across England and Wales, each of which is a registered charity with its own board of trustees.

The board oversees the management and finances of the charity and is responsible for deciding how the service is developed to meet the needs of the community. Trustees volunteer their time and expertise and can develop new skills in a friendly and supportive environment.

Last year CALL’s 45 volunteers and eight members of staff helped around 2,500 people in Leighton-Linslade with nearly 11,000 different issues. Demand for advice and support is greater than ever due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and CALL’s advisers are helping clients over the phone or via email until it becomes possible to reopen safely for face-to-face contact.

Acting chairperson, Lynn Stuart said: “We are all living in extremely challenging times but Citizens Advice is still here to help anyone who needs our support. As we continue to develop our services, we’re seeking new recruits to join our board of trustees.

“We’d like to encourage anyone who has a real desire to improve the lives of local people, and a willingness to share their skills and knowledge, to consider joining us.

“No specific qualifications are required, and we welcome people of all ages, backgrounds and experience who are passionate about advice services and can bring innovative ideas and good judgement.

“Our trustees attend four evening meetings during the year and can also get involved in projects or areas of interest where they can apply their skills in specific areas such as marketing, finance, fundraising or legal matters. The chair also has more regular contact with the management team and often acts as a sounding board on various issues.

“We’re a small team and each of our trustees brings different skills and experiences to the role. But everyone is totally committed to supporting one another and ensuring that CALL does what it was set up to do – offer high quality advice services to people in and around Leighton-Linslade.”

For more information or an informal chat about the role of trustees and/or the position of chair of trustees, contact Kash Karimzandi, Chief Officer on 01525 374589 or [email protected]For details of how to contact CALL for advice see https://www.leightonlinsladecab.org.uk