Member Article

Plea for votes to support the community

A charity which has been advising people for more than 75 years has today issued its own appeal for a helping hand from users.

Citizens Advice Darlington wants people to show their appreciation of the service it gives by voting on a charity funding website, supporting their bid to transform a disused building into a central “One House” community centre.

The independent charity has made it through to next round of the Aviva Community Awards and is hoping that if enough votes are secured in the competition it will create a voluntary sector hub in the centre of Darlington, bringing together various organisations under one roof to improve services and lives of the people who live in the town.

Neeraj Sharma, chief executive of Citizens Advice Darlington, said the charity’s plans would bring about a transformational change.

He said: “For more than 100 years, charities have provided essential support, advice, advocacy and training to Darlington’s most vulnerable residents. However, the reduction of public sector funding and rising commercial rents will result in the forced closure of many of these vital organisations and community groups.

“The One House Programme seeks to turn the tide of closure by transforming a once used CVS (Council for Voluntary Services) building into central community centre fit for affordable multiple charity occupation and community access.”

The centre will not only be a base for several of Darlington’s charities, but it will also expand community access, through use of training resources and meeting space and will improve the overall client journey for residents who will be able to access multiple support services through one central location.

The charity’s One-House project will go up against a host of other charities in an online vote on Aviva’s Community Fund website. The three charities with the most votes will then be passed to a panel which will decide a winner.

Voting for the projects opens on Friday, October 21 and when people register their support on the Aviva Community Fund website they will receive 10 votes which can be used at any time during the voting phase of the competition.

Mr Sharma said: “This programme will provide synergy of services and maximise resources in a sustainable way for the benefit of Darlington’s vulnerable residents.”

Robert Murphy, chairman of the board of trustees for Citizens Advice Darlington, said: “We have been lucky enough to have been offered this opportunity to create a community hub and extend a service that is both used and valued by the local community.

“If you or a relative have used the service, then this is a way to give something back, without it costing you any money. We had fantastic support earlier this year when our service was under threat, for which we are grateful, and we hope people will support us again. Voting is easy and is free and everyone who registers their support for us gets 10 votes to use, so we look forward to creating a better future for our community.”

Voting closes at noon on Friday, November 18. Everyone who registers to vote will be given 10 votes. Go to http://www.aviva.co.uk/good-thinking/community-fund/ or find the link on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/darlingtoncab/ You can also follow us on Twitter @DarlingtonCAB and on Instagram as citizensadvicedarlington

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Citizens Advice Darlington .