Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire to return to Staple Hill and Mangotsfield two years after local office closed
Cllr Ian Campbell , Chairman of Staple Hill and Mangotsfield Parish Council, and Yvonne Parks, Money Advice Supervisor at Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire, who will be running some of the sessions
- Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire will once again offer vital advice to Staple Hill and Mangotsfield residents with a free weekly session
- The session will be held at Page Community Association on Fridays from 10am to 12 noon
- The team closed the charity’s Staple Hill office in 2022 and is very pleased to be returning to the area
A South Gloucestershire advice charity is very pleased to be returning to Staple Hill and Mangotsfield following the closure of its office due to funding constraints.
Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire closed its office in the High Street, Staple Hill in 2022 after a funding reduction.
But now the charity will return with a free weekly advice session for local residents – thanks to funding from the newly-formed Staple Hill and Mangotsfield Parish Council.
This is fantastic news for the people of the area who until now will have had to travel to Yate for face-to-face advice.
They will now be able to access free, independent and confidential advice from a trained adviser in person each week on Fridays from 10am to 12 noon.
The sessions will be held at Page Community Association, at Page Road, Staple Hill, BS16 4NE, beginning Friday 5th July.
Advice can cover virtually anything – including benefits, debt, housing, cost-of-living support, domestic abuse and employment issues.
There is no need to book an appointment – just turn up on the day to see a trained, generalist adviser. If the issue is complex, the charity will arrange a follow-up appointment.
Staple Hill return – ‘we are thrilled’
Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire’s Chief Executive Officer Chantal Watts said: “Closing our office in Staple Hill due to funding constraints was a crushing blow to us as a charity and we’ve been keen to return to the area ever since.
“Even though Staple Hill and Mangotsfield residents have still been served by us from Yate, its invaluable to have a session in your local neighbourhood.
“So we are thrilled to be able to provide a new face-to-face advice session thanks to funding from Staple Hill and Mangotsfield Parish Council.
“This will be open to Staple Hill and Mangotsfield residents every week and we look forward to being able to help people with their issues.”
Cllr Ian Campbell , Chairman of Staple Hill and Mangotsfield Parish Council, said: “Staple Hill and Mangotsfield Parish councillors were thrilled to reintroduce a Citizens Advice service.“Ensuring we had a local touchpoint for the community was a top priority in our decision, and we hope the service proves to be successful and beneficial for residents in need of advice.”
Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire is a local, independent charity which provides free, confidential and impartial advice to anyone who needs it in South Gloucestershire.
The charity is reliant on grants and donations to fund the majority of its work.
As well as Staple Hill and Mangotsfield, it runs face-to-face open-door sessions in Yate, Cadbury Heath, Stoke Gifford, Thornbury, Bradley Stoke, Emersons Green and Lyde Green as well as operating a free Adviceline telephone service for anyone in South Gloucestershire.
Anyone in South Gloucestershire seeking free, independent, impartial and confidential advice from Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire can call 0808 278 7947.
The charity’s opening times and contact details are available at: www.southgloscab.org.uk/get-advice/visit-us/
Published 13/06/24.
