About Us

OUR AIMS

to provide the advice people need for the problems they face

We are a local, independent charity and a member of the National Association of Citizens Advice and rely on grants and donations. We provide free, independent, good-quality advice to anyone living and working in Charnwood to give them the confidence they need to find their way forward.

The advice we offer covers a wide-range of issues although over 60% of our work actually relates to debt and welfare benefits.

We play an essential part in helping anyone living or working in the borough of Charnwood by providing information, directing them to the best source of help for their issues and giving advice through trained generalist advisers and specialists. The service we provide is free, independent, confidential and impartial.

Citizens Advice Charnwood is a registered charity and company and was established in the 1940s – the first Citizens Advice bureau in Leicestershire. Our organisation which operates across our offices in Loughborough, Shepshed and Syston, consists mainly of Volunteers although there a number of paid staff. Click here to see what our volunteers do.

Generalist Advice Service

To deliver the best generalist advice service we can at times and in places convenient to local people.

Specialist Advice

To procure funds for and deliver high quality specialist advice services in subject areas of most need, currently debt and welfare benefits.

Research & Campaigns

To strengthen our local research and influencing profile and contribute to national research.

Our Effectiveness

In 2023-24:

The total number of clients seen by us was 3,484
The number of issues dealt with was 13,828
Debt outcomes totalled £1,018,586
Financial gains for clients totalled £2,163,098

And finally, last but not least, the total value of volunteer time was £226,673

Our Mission Statement

As a member of the Citizens Advice network, Citizens Advice Charnwood (CACh) shares the aims of the service, namely:

To provide the advice people need to find a way forward and address the problems they face
To use the experience so gained to improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives

We welcome diversity in our own ranks and are alert to discrimination and inequality as contributors to the issues on which our clients seek our advice. Specifically, we are dedicated to the advice needs of Charnwood residents and our objectives are:

To deliver the best generalist advice service we can at times and in places convenient for Charnwood residents. This currently has three strands –

a) Maintaining, strengthening and, if possible, expanding the face to face advice service in our existing locations

b) Expanding outreach services, particularly for vulnerable clients and those outside Loughborough; and

c) Exploring and developing other ways of delivering advice services and promoting awareness of rights and responsibilities

2. Procure funds for, and deliver high quality specialist (caseworker) advice services in, subject areas of most need, currently debt (money advice) and welfare benefits.

3. Strengthen our local research and influencing profile and contribute to national research.

Partners & Supporters

Citizens Advice Charnwood has a close working relationship with a number of Partners, with the aim of working together to help our clients.

Leicestershire County Council
Charnwood Borough Council
Advice Quality Standard
Citizens Advice
Shepshed Town Council
Syston & District Volunteer Centre
New Life
Community Church (Trussell Trust Food Bank)

Supporters

Over the past year we have gratefully received support from the following companies and organisations:

- 3M
- Intelligent Energy
- Loughborough University
- The Florence Turner Trust
- The Helen Jean Cope Trust
- Anstey Parish Council
- Sileby Parish Council
- Cuttlefish
- Charnwood Lottery

Our History

Citizens Advice in Loughborough started its life in June 1940 in the Library on Granby Street when it was primarily concerned with giving advice to visitors to the town. In 1943 it was reported that 450 queries were dealt with. In addition, 90 Red Cross messages were received and passed for transmission to enemy countries and 81 received. Later the Women’s Voluntary Service undertook this work and operated from their ex-army hut near to Victoria Street.

Towards the end of 1958 Citizens Advice was relocated back to the Library and operated from the Bow room of Island House. This building was later demolished and the newer current Library built. The Citizens Advice then moved to John Storer House where it remained for several years until the move in 2011 to its current base in Woodgate Chambers.

Citizens Advice Charnwood AGM

Answer the question here. Make sure you answer all frequently asked questions to clear some common doubts. People love when they find a solution without having to wait for your reply. This also shows that you have enough knowledge that you can share and help them out.

Get in Touch

By phone: Local Enquiry Line 01509 649605

Drop-in: – we currently are not offering drop-in sessions but there are appointments available. Please ring our local enquiry line during opening hours about this.

By post: –

Woodgate Chambers
70 Woodgate
Loughborough
LE11 2TZ

How to make a complaint

If we have let you down, tell us.

In writing to:

The Chief Officer
Citizens Advice Charnwood
Woodgate Chambers
70 Woodgate
Loughborough
LE11 2TZ

More information can be found in our complaints leaflet.

Website Information and Terms of Use

Citizens Advice Charnwood has tried to ensure that the information on this website is accurate. However, Citizens Advice Charnwood will not accept liability for any loss, damage or inconvenience arising as a consequence of any use of or the inability to use any information on this website. Citizens Advice Charnwood endeavours to provide a service of the highest quality. However, we cannot guarantee that our service will be uninterrupted or error-free. We are not responsible for claims brought by third parties arising from your use of this website.

Citizens Advice Charnwood assumes no responsibility for the contents of linked websites. The inclusion of any link should not be taken as endorsement of any kind by Citizens Advice Charnwood, of the linked website or any association with its operators. Further, we have no control over the availability of the linked pages.

Copyright

Material on this website, including text and images, is protected by copyright. It may not be copied, reproduced, republished, downloaded, posted, broadcast or transmitted in any way except for your own personal, non-commercial use. Prior written consent of the copyright holder must be obtained for any other use of material. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with Citizens Advice Charnwood and other copyright owner(s) as specified. No part of this site may be distributed or copied for any commercial purpose.

Cookies

When we deliver services and information through our website we want to make sure these are useful, reliable and easy to use. To make this happen, it sometimes involves placing small amounts of information on your device, for example, your computer or mobile phone. These include small files known as cookies.

A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer if you agree. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer’s hard drive. We cannot identify you personally using a cookie unless you have created an account.

These pieces of information are used to improve services for you through, for example:

enabling the website to recognise your device so you don’t have to give the same information multiple times during one task,
measuring how many people are using online services so we can make sure that there is enough capacity to make them work efficiently, and look at ways we can make them easier to use.

Join Us

We are a volunteer-based organisation. You can support us by volunteering with us, fundraising for us, or donating to us. For an idea about the types of volunteers we have, see the links below.