Citizens Advice expands partnership with Keele University
A local charity has expanded its partnership with Keele University to deliver some of its services from Keele’s town centre venue in Newcastle-under-Lyme, increasing volunteering and placement opportunities for students.
Citizens Advice North Staffordshire has announced that it will now be offering consumer and debt advice services from Keele in Town, based on Ironmarket in Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre, as part of an expansion that will also see the charity operating at Newcastle Borough Council’s Guildhall.
The charity will be providing debt and money advice to clients from Keele in Town , with the new premises helping them to reach even more people from a central location.
This will allow further critical support to be delivered in the community, making the services offered by the charity even more accessible, from both the locations to availability of appointments. It also will be the first time in which a Citizens Advice service will be providing in-depth consumer advice face-to-face in the community.
The charity’s expansion into Keele in Town will also mean that even more Keele students can take advantage of placement, work experience, and volunteering opportunities with the charity to increase their employability, and personal and professional development.
Keele’s partnership with Citizens Advice North Staffordshire has been established for many years and has always offered a wealth of opportunities for students, including offering front line work placements and experience, with many going on to volunteer or work for the charity later on.
Joseph Clarke, Keele University’s Partnership Development Manager for strategic partnerships, said: “Our partnership with the Citizen’s Advice has long been an extremely rewarding one, and working with the charity to help them deliver their services while also providing opportunities for our students has been extremely beneficial for both of us.
“We’re really pleased that this move to Keele in Town will not only help us provide even more of those placement and volunteering opportunities for our students, but will help the charity to reach even more local people in need, and offer ever more effective support from this easily accessible location.”
The charity’s head of Money Advice, Katie Underwood, added: "We are thrilled to be able to offer regular outreach from such a central location. We know that it can be difficult for our clients to get to us - especially if they're facing financial difficulties or have caring responsibilities. Therefore, our focus, as it has been for the last 12 months, is to meet our clients where they are. We see this as a huge step towards achieving that goal and making our free advice more accessible than ever.”
