February 10, 2014 9.03 am This story is over 121 months old

How donations help Lincoln CAB

Helping hand: Even the most supportive of organisations needs a bit of support from the community, CAB’s Amanda McSorley explains.

Did you know that Lincoln and District Citizens Advice Bureau is a charity? All CABs are – relying on grants from bodies such as local councils and donations to fund our their core activities.

Our charitable status comes as a surprise to many, which in a way is very complimentary, as according to research by our parent body, this is because we have a professional reputation and a recognisable brand.

But the fact remains we need the public’s generosity to carry out our work, which last year helped more than 5,000 people in the Lincoln area.

We hope that people will never need our services, but we know that many do when they find themselves in debt; facing a relationship breakdown; being treated unfairly at work; relying on benefits for income; needing care for elderly parents; in the middle of a dispute with neighbours or dealing with a consumer issue.

The advice we give to anyone who turns to us is confidential, impartial, independent and free. You never know when you might need Citizens Advice and any help you can give us now will help ensure we are there if and when you do.

Here is how donations can be used:

  • £10 will pay daily expenses for one volunteer, who will in turn deliver 7 hours of advice to clients
  • £15 will pay for an hour of generalist advice
  • £30 will pay for an outreach worker to visit an elderly client at home
  • £45 will pay for one hour of specialist advice
  • £90 will fund the direct costs for solving a housing problem
  • £170 will enable us to advise throughout an average employment dispute
  • £190 helps us to support a family in debt to avoid having their home repossessed
  • £500 pays for a new leaflet to be distributed to recruit new volunteers
  • £550 pays for a laptop and printer for a volunteer to use for advice work
  • £1,500 pays for the training of one new CAB volunteer adviser

Practical donations of items such as stationery and printer cartridges are also welcome and you can help when using the internet by using the Everyclick search engine that gives money to Lincoln CAB each time it is used.

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Amanda McSorley joined the Research and Campaigns Team at Lincoln and District Citizens Advice Bureau in February 2013. She is a former journalist and newspaper editor, with 30 years’ experience of covering the issues that impact people’s lives.