Thank you for 11 years of service Malcolm!
It’s Volunteers’ Week 2026, time to thank our dedicated team of 60+ volunteers for all their support. In this series, we highlight a few of our volunteers….
Malcolm is retiring after 11 years’ voluntary service with us
Malcolm joined us having worked for 35 years in the financial services industry, during which time he helped people pursue legal claims mainly for personal injury and for consumer and employment disputes.
Says Malcolm: “I’ve always enjoyed helping people so volunteering at Citizens Advice seemed an ideal fit to continue this work when I retired.
“What I didn’t realise when I joined was that the nature of the enquiries clients have are more varied than I expected and included issues with housing, benefits and relationships among others. Sometimes clients have more than one issue which can make it more complex. I find that sorting their issues into important and urgent makes them more manageable and helps the client understand what needs to happen next.
“Extensive training is provided to deal with these issues and on-the-job support is always available. Every case is a learning experience as no two cases are the same which makes the work interesting, challenging and rewarding in equal measure.
“My role is dealing with clients by phone or in person. I am the first point of contact for them. My responsibility is to understand the clients’ issues and needs and advise on options for a way forward. Often, I find that clients are just happy to have someone to talk to and share their problems with. Any help we can then offer to resolve their problems is greatly appreciated.”
“Volunteering at Citizens Advice has allowed me to learn new skills and gain knowledge and an understanding of the issues that affect people from all walks of life. It’s an invaluable experience which I will always remember.”