Advice volunteers worth more than £9m, charity says

Volunteers are worth more than £9 million to an advice charity, research has found.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) found volunteers across the network in Scotland gave more than 622,000 hours of their time in 2020-21 – a contribution amounting to more than £9.4 million.

Figures have been released ahead of Volunteers Week (June 1-7) which celebrates the contributions of volunteers across the UK.

There are 59 Citizens Advice Bureaux operating under the CAS umbrella. They are independent local charities organised to suit local needs.

They generate about £147 million for clients through social security benefits and debt management.

Nan Fotheringham, 81, is one of the CAB network volunteers at Coatbridge Citizens Advice Bureau and has given her time for two days a week for twenty years.

She said: “I can’t believe I’ve been volunteering at the CAB for twenty years – time flies. The local Citizens Advice Bureau is always there for people when they need it and it really shows the best of our communities – local people helping each other.

“Times are really tough for people just now and I love having the opportunity to give something back to the community.

“I’d encourage anyone who is thinking about volunteering with their local CAB to look into it – you learn skills, meet great people and there’s no better feeling than helping someone resolve a problem.”

Chairman of Citizens Advice Scotland, Rory Mair, said: “Volunteers across the Citizens Advice network are worth millions of pounds in terms of the time they give, but to us they are simply priceless.

“Our network simply would not exist without the time, dedication and empathy of our volunteers.

“There’s something extraordinary about how the network operates – advice for local people by local people. Neighbours effectively helping each other.

“Volunteering for a CAB also opens up opportunities for people. Around a third of our volunteers go on to further education or employment, and this number will be artificially low given a number of our volunteers are past retirement age and just looking to give something back to their community.

“We’d always encourage people to consider volunteering with their local CAB. They are the heart and the heartbeat of our network.”