Volunteer with Us

Get involved and support your local community.

2024 - 2025 Statistics

Total Years of Volunteering

Hours Volunteered

Enquiries

Why Volunteer at CABB

In the last year (2024), Citizens Advice Bury & Bolton has helped 16,745 people with 55,671 problems, including debt advice, housing, benefits and energy issues. This is a 5% increase on the previous 12 months. It can only do this work thanks to its team of staff and trained volunteers.

Our volunteers come from all walks of life and choose to volunteer for a variety of reasons. They include students; people getting back into work after career breaks; people with part-time jobs; carers; and people who’ve retired.

Volunteers are often looking to gain valuable experience or to use their existing skills in new ways. Many want to have an impact in their community and find a sense of purpose in helping others. Our volunteers have access to a range of training and development opportunities that can support future progression.

Research by national Citizens Advice found that 9 in 10 volunteers say that volunteering at Citizens Advice services across England and Wales have given them a sense of purpose while 42% say their confidence and mental health is boosted, and the value of its volunteers equated to £100 million in the last year. This includes the value of volunteering hours as well as the wider positive impact volunteering has on the economy and the NHS.

What Do Our Volunteers Do?

Our diverse volunteering team support the organisation in a number of ways. We have volunteers who deliver generalist advice on our telephone advice systems, volunteers who meet & greet clients in our face to face advice centres, and volunteers who support our research & campaigns and communication functions.

Here are some examples of cases that our volunteers have supported clients with;

Work Based Compensation

John was seeking advice as he had previously been assaulted at work and agreed to a compentation figure. Since the settlement, the injury caused further significant impact and the client was seeking further damages as this happened prior to settlement. We provided John with the information he needed and signposted him to relevant agencies who could help him fnid a further way forward.

Substance Abuse

One of Julie’s children struggled with substance abuse and she called us as he often becomes violent towards her and her other children. The police had previously removed him from the property, but as he returned she wanted advice on how to get him to leave permanently.

We signposted Julie to a number of organisations that may be able to assist and advised her to contact the police again for help with filing an injunction against her son.

Executor of Will

Heather approached us as she had recently been made executor of her late brothers will along with her sister. Heather didn’t know what this entailed and required information to better understand what this involved.

We provided Heather with the relevant information to explain the executor role and also advised she could seek legal advice that could be paid for out of the estate.

Social Housing Right to Buy

Martin is in social housing and was seeking advice around buying the property.

We provided Martin with the information he needed surrounding this and also advised him that the government have a specialised call centre to help with checking eligibility and looking if buying your home is the best option for you.

Martin also enquired about benefit advice and was signposted to the relevant place for guidance on this.

Employment Tribunal

Luke had recently attended an employment tribunal against his employer where the judge asked him to provide a schedule of loss, Luke required assistance as he was unsure on how to do this.

We provided Luke with the relevant information needed including an example schedule of loss. We also provided details for FRU who may be able to assist Luke with this as well as his new court hearing.

Child Maintenance

Paul made an enquiry to us in relation to challenging a child maintenance service decision that left him without enough money to cover his living expenses.

We advised Luke that he needed to submit a mandatory reconsideration to challenge this and provided information on how to do this.

What Do We Expect From Volunteers?

All volunteers have access to training, development and support throughout their volunteering journey.

There is mandatory training required for all roles, and the level of further learning will depend on the area which you’ll be volunteering in. To become an advice volunteer, there is extensive training which takes approximately 6 months to complete.

Due to the training commitments, we do ask that our advice and client facing volunteers are able to commit to at least 2 volunteering sessions per month and can volunteer with us for at least 6 months post training.

However, we do not want to create barriers to volunteering and appreciate that not all volunteers are able to offer this time commitment. Our non-advice related opportunities have less training and time commitments required.

Full details of training requirements and time commitments will be available within the role descriptions.

Hear from Our Volunteers

Don’t just take our word for the impact volunteering has.  Here are some recent comments our volunteers shared during Volunteers Week 2025.

"Very Rewarding"

I am really enjoying volunteering with CABB as I like to help others, the team have been very welcoming and approachable, and I feel very supported in my position.

It is a very rewarding feeling to see the relief on peoples faces after visiting our service and realising there is support available to help them find a way forward.

"Incredibly Welcoming and Helpful"

I’ve greatly enjoyed my experiences as a volunteer so far. The team has been incredibly welcoming and helpful when it comes to questions I have.

Also, having the autonomy to explore all of the departments and being able to see the individual intricacies that go into each case has allowed me to find my own interest in the Money Advice Team.

"Very Rewarding & Fulfilling"

I have been a volunteer adviser at CABB since 2008. Being an adviser makes you realise the lack of services for many vulnerable people who have no idea where to go for the information that they need.

The amount of information I have learned is amazing. It is also great to be part of a team working collaboratively, helping each other & learning from each other. It’s an experience I have found very rewarding & fulfilling.

"Great Job Satisfaction"

I have been a volunteer since retiring and get great job satisfaction from helping people solve their problems. 

Volunteering has made an impact on my life as I have increased my general knowledge in lots of subjects, including Housing, Law and Benefits to name a few. What I enjoy the most is working in a fabulous team of people. 

"Always Feel Pleased"

I have been a volunteer for 11 years and always feel pleased to help the clients. 

Volunteering has given me a larger view of how people live. I enjoy working with all the team. 

"Very Rewarding"

I have been a volunteer for 8 years and the knowledge I have gained in this time has helped keep me up to date with the latest information and social conditions in the local community, whils also giving me a wider understanding of life outside my own personal circumstances. 

The gratitude from people you help is very rewarding whether that can be a client or a colleague who has a query. 

"Helped Combat Loneliness"

I have been volunteering now for 16 years and I like the idea of helping clients. I like to keep my office skills updated. 

I have been volunteering since becoming widowed and it has given me contact with clients and other volunteers which has helped combat loneliness. I also enjoy the interaction with the other volunteers and staff. 

"Met New People"

Having used the services of Citizens Advice previously, I decided to volunteer following my retirement as it was considered a name I could trust. 

I am now in my 30th year as a volunteer and I have made many new friends, met new people and developed new skills. I volunteer hoping to make a difference in my community/town. My reward is the satisfaction of helping others and hopefully making a positive impact on their lives. 

"Constantly Learning New Information"

I have been a volunteer for 30 years now and it maintains my brain activity, which in turn has impacted on my day to day living by constantly learning new information. 

I enjoy mostly solving knotty problems. 

Register Your Interest To Become a Volunteer

To register your interest to become a volunteer with us, please follow the link below to our National Volunteering website where you can find out more information. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to some of the frequently asked questions we get about volunteering with CABB. 

What is involved with Citizens Advice Bury and Bolton?

Our volunteers come from all walks of life and choose to volunteer for a variety of reasons. They include students; people getting back into work after career breaks; people with part-time jobs; carers; and people who’ve retired. 

Volunteers can support by delivering generalist advice, greeting clients at our drop-in sessions, supporting community outreach events and back office roles such as research & campaigns and media.   

What roles are available?

Any available roles will be advertised on the volunteering page.   

If there are no roles advertised, it means that we are currently not recruiting, however at this point we accept expressions of interest and will contact potential volunteers once opportunities become available.   

What age restrictions are there on volunteering?

The minimum age for a Citizens Advice volunteer is 18There is no upper age limit for volunteers. 

Do I need experience in advice and information?

No, not at all. Being the right type of person is all that matters to us. We are looking for ordinary, approachable and friendly people who are non-judgemental and are empathetic to the needs and issues of our clients.  You will receive full training when you join as a volunteer.   

What training will I complete?

Our training will differ dependant on the volunteering role you are selected for.  There is online training modules, shadowing, and further advice training.  This will take (dependant on your commitment) anything from 5-12 weeks.  Details of the training will be included in each role description.   

When can I volunteer?

You can volunteer when our offices/phone lines are open – Monday to Friday 9.30am-3.30pm 

Where can I volunteer?

We have offices in both Bury & Bolton where you can volunteer.   

How often do I need to volunteer?

For our advice/client facing volunteers we do ask for a time commitment of at least 1 session (4-6hrs) every other week. 

If you are volunteering in a non-client facing role, this will differ dependant on the role.  There may be occasions where we offer short-term opportunities for projects etc.  Time commitments will be stated within the role descriptions.   

Do you provide work experience/student placements?

Due to insurance, we are unable to offer work experience for under 18s.  If you are looking for a student placement for a social work, law or other undergraduate degree, please email us directly on volunteers@cabb.org.uk 

I’m on benefits, can I volunteer?

You can volunteer while claiming benefits, as long as you keep to the conditions of the benefits you get. Check the rules about volunteering for the benefit you claim to make sure your benefits aren’t affected.  Please see more information here.

How do I apply?

When there are vacancies available, a link to the application form will be within the role descriptionIf you have completed the expression of interest, when opportunities become available we’ll send you the role description and link to the application form by email.

What happens when I apply?

We will be in touch within 10 working days once we have received your application.   

We may then invite you to an informal meeting.

Do you need references?

Yes – if you are successful at interview we will ask you to provide contact details for 2 references (professional or personal) as part of our safer recruitment processPlease note that family members are not able to provide a reference.

Will I get my expenses paid?

We will reimburse reasonable travel to and from training sessions and travel to and from your volunteering location. We will chat to you further during the recruitment process about what expenses we can reimburse.

I have a disability, can I still apply?

Of course! Citizens Advice Bury & Bolton practices and promotes equality of opportunity in volunteering. That means we make sure that all potential volunteers, whatever they have to offer, will be welcomed. We strive to meet the additional needs of disabled staff, arising either directly or indirectly out of their volunteer work. Our aim is to enable all our volunteers to make their distinctive contribution to the benefit of our clients. If you have a disability that might prevent you from fully participating in our recruitment process, please let us know in your application and we will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments to ensure your comfort. 

I have a criminal record, can I still apply?

For any roles (regardless of whether the role requires a DBS check), it is Citizens Advice policy not to recruit individuals who have an unspent conviction for a sexual offence against a vulnerable adult or child. This is the case regardless of when the offence took place. 

For roles that require a standard or enhanced DBS check, it is our policy not to recruit individuals with a spent or unspent conviction for a sexual offence against a vulnerable adult or child.  

If the role applied for does not require a DBS check, or only a basic DBS check, we will ask only about unspent convictions.

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