Long-standing volunteer at local charity Citizens Advice (Thanet), David Proderick, talks about how he got started, why he does it and how the charity can help. It is looking for more volunteers to help meet demand.
“It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve done,” says Citizens Advice (Thanet) volunteer David Proderick, who calls the charity “a family.”
The former diesel support engineer started volunteering ten years ago when he retired and says what he missed most was the people.
There were a lot of volunteer driving jobs around, but he had driven thousands of miles for work and wanted something different. Then he remembered his mum was helped by Citizens’ Advice decades earlier.
“It must have been in the school holidays because my mum dragged me and my sister along with her. She was raising two children on her own. My dad was away, and we needed financial help.”
Citizens Advice (Thanet) is a local charity connected to the national organisation, Citizens Advice, and supports people with advice for everything from benefits, money and housing issues to family, employment and consumer problems.
The 73-year-old who is a Ramsgate resident went along to offer his services and they said that he could “make tea, book people in and sweep up.”
He was soon learning to be an adviser and says the training is “second to none.”
“The hardest thing to do is walk through the door. Sometimes someone comes in crying and we find them an extra £100 a week, and they cry again. People don’t know what they are entitled to – especially the older people I see. Sometimes people just want someone to listen.”
He also volunteers at Age UK (Thanet), where blue badge claims and benefit calculations are in demand, and he is an escort on a minibus for a church lunch club where he also helps out.
As a volunteer adviser, he says: “You help people get through their issues and move forward. And being part of a team is invaluable. If I don’t know the answer to something, I know where to get it.”
He added: “My wife suffered quite a bit with illness and died about five years ago. During all that time the Citizens Advice family were there for me. There’s always someone there to support you.”
During lockdown, the charity’s phone lines were diverted to his home and a computer set up. “I have to be doing something,” he said. “I was a man living on his own during lockdown. Citizens’ Advice kept me sane.”
Currently the biggest demand for the team is help with benefits – particularly for people with disabilities or poor health - and with challenging decisions when Personal Independence Payment claims fail.
Housing is the second biggest issue, with a rise in no-fault evictions and an acute lack of affordable housing - even for people working in the area. The team says the situation is “desperate.”
Citizens Advice (Thanet) can identify people’s housing rights and options, check the correct procedure is being followed or tell the client what the process is.
They are currently helping a 74-year-old struggling with his health, finances and facing eviction. With such an overwhelming amount to deal with, they offer guidance on each issue and on where to start, stepping in where necessary. Each small win can make a difference.
Recently a 39-year-old parent of three was struggling to make repayments for council tax arrears and afford to meet the family’s basic living costs at the same time, putting overwhelming strain on their mental health. Citizens Advice helped them apply for a discretionary hardship payment to cover the debt and a fuel voucher to help cover energy bills. The relief was palpable as the pressure eased.
The charity says benefit checks are important to identify whether someone is entitled to get more help. Often people don't realise they can have a certain amount of savings and still be eligible for benefits due to their low income.
This could be pensioners living on very little until their savings run out who have long been entitled to Pension Credit or someone who has their life turned upside down by illness and then lost their job being entitled to benefits despite their savings.
Do you need help?
Citizens Advice can advise on the best way forward. They have an appointment only service at their Ramsgate and Margate offices. Email
enquiries@citizensadvice.org.uk or write to Citizens Advice (Thanet), 38-40 Plains of Waterloo, Ramsgate, CT11 8HX - give your contact details and as much detail about your enquiry as possible. Alternatively, you can access telephone advice as follows:
Advice Line for General Advice - 0808 278 7998 (Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm)
Self Help Advice and Webchat –
www.citizensadvice.org.uk
Additionally, Ramsgate Citizens Advice hold a drop-in Family Law Clinic with a local solicitor on 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month – 9:30am to 11:30am (at 38-40 Plains of Waterloo, Ramsgate, CT11 8HX).
Could you volunteer?
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Trainee advisers to answer phone calls, emails and meet people face to face. IT skills are essential and full training is given. People with social media skills are also needed.
Could you be a trustee?
Trustees with accountancy and fundraising skills in particular are in demand. Please email
volunteers@thanetcitizensadvice.org.uk.