Our Volunteers As a result of having to close our face to face offices due to the pandemic, our volunteer numbers dipped significantly. We needed to take firm action to get our numbers back up as quickly as possible.
We have had continuous recruitment and training in the past year which, besides being hard work, has been worth the effort. The trainees and teams in our offices throughout the county have done an incredible job at getting our new volunteers qualified as advisers. We now have all our offices open for face-to-face advice as well as providing advice digitally. Going forward, we are continuing to recruit and train new volunteers so that we can increase our office opening hours and expand our digital team.
What does a typical day look like for a volunteer adviser? Let's hear from Christine Hudson, an adviser at our Fakenham Office... There is no such thing as an average day at Fakenham! I try very hard to get there before the clients, not easy when they often turn up before we are open. A coffee and team briefing makes for a good start and a check of the diary to see if there are any appointments. Then onto seeing the clients. I never know what to expect! I think I've heard it all and then someone will prove me wrong. I enjoy the unpredictability of the job; no two cases are the same but getting problems sorted and helping clients to move on is rewarding. Then there are case notes to write up and training to get on with, the latter if time allows. I work in a close team and we support one another, always there for each other with a wealth of experience between us. The kettle is always available and I run better when fully charged with caffeine! The biscuit barrel starts each day full and is a good gauge as to how the day is going. I can't remember the last time I finished on time but it's never an issue.
I can honestly say that I get much more from being an Adviser than I ever imagined! I hope to continue for a lot longer; it keeps me grounded and I am always aware that there are so many people a lot worse off than me, however challenging I might think life is!
17
