Ceredigion Citizens Advice: Rural Reach Citizens Advice Bases

Citizens Advice Ceredigion works to take advice into communities across Ceredigion and it’s borders including North Pembrokeshire. During the past year of the pandemic the charity has helped more than 2,400 people with issues such as welfare benefits, debt, energy and employment.

Ceredigion Citizens Advice has created a ‘Rural Reach’ team with the help of a grant from the UK government’s BEIS department to Citizens Advice nationally. The team has been tasked to reach out to the community to provide access to advice at a local level and to get the message out that the service is there for everyone – no matter who and no matter for what.

The Rural Reach team have been working with community partners to establish Citizens Advice Bases in five key locations throughout the County; Borth Community Hub, Camfan Support Hub in Lampeter, Jig–So Family Centre in Cardigan, Penparcau Community Centre in Aberystwyth and Ray Ceredigion in Aberaeron. Each partner has kindly agreed to the use of their premises to accommodate access to remote advice.

Each Citizens Advice Base (CAB) is equipped with telephones and computer tablets to enable people to access remote and video advice for free. Appointments with an experienced adviser are available by contacting Ceredigion Citizens Advice by telephone: 01239 621974 or by email: enquiries@cabceredigion.org

Free advice across West Wales from Citizens Advice puts £££s in people’s pockets

Since the first lockdown of March 2020 the local charity Citizens Advice Ceredigion has helped 2453 individuals to manage or write off £280,000 worth of debt and gain £1.6 million worth of extra income. This free and confidential service is available right across the county from many different locations.

They also help with employment and housing problems, discrimination, basic immigration issues, scams, money saving and better budgeting and many other problems.

Clare and Bronwen, of the charity’s Rural Reach team have been working throughout the pandemic to take this advice into communities, by working with other charities and community groups across the county to make this advice more accessible.

As part of this work, a new network of Citizens Advice Bases (CABs) has been set up in five key locations: Borth Community Hub, Camfan Support Hub in Lampeter, Jig–So Family Centre in Cardigan, Penparcau Hwb in Aberystwyth, and Ray Ceredigion in Aberaeron.

The Jig-So Family Centre is open to registered families and anyone can access information and advice at the other four bases from Citizens Advice Ceredigion, via video link or phone, for free.

Help and instructions to get in touch are provided and safety precautions have been taken to keep the risk from Covid-19 very low.

To discuss any problem with an experienced adviser, contact Ceredigion Citizens Advice by telephone: 01239 621974 or email: enquiries@cabceredigion.org.