CAB benefits from Skipton Community Fund

Monday 26 March 2018

The first donation from the newly formed Skipton Community Fund has been made to the Citizens Advice Bureau, helping the charity to raise financial awareness in the local community.

Skipton International has granted a sum of £1,000 to each of the charitable organisations in Guernsey and Jersey, supporting the good work they do and in particular the money workers who help those in financial distress or with mounting debt.

The Skipton Community Fund which was launched at the start of this year, opened its doors to requests for funding from community led projects.

It wanted to attract smaller organisations that would not normally receive financial aid and where small sums could make a really big difference. Skipton were keen to support those initiatives that would look to improve people’s lives and benefit the community and our Island as a whole.

Steve Hogg, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice Guernsey, said: “The donation from the Skipton Community Fund has been very timely. Not only has it allowed us to meet an additional overhead at the charity shop, but it has given the CAB team a much-needed lift, recognising their hard work. Too often we are overlooked as a charitable organisation, but we are very dependent on the giving of others.”

The donation from Skipton will be used by the Friends of Citizens Advice Charity Shop which has recently started to sell electronic goods to raise vital funds to support the organisation.

Along with the support of Guernsey Electricity, the £1,000 will allow the charity shop to fund electrical tests to meet the safety requirements needed to sell the goods for a period of three years.

CAB meets with thousands of islanders every year, helping them deconstruct their finances and to find a way out of the money pit. As well as contacting creditors on their behalf, CAB talk people through where savings could be made and offer guidance on prioritising debts or the suitability of consolidation loans. 

Jim Coupe, Managing Director of Skipton International, said: “We are delighted to provide this first donation from our Fund to the Citizens Advice Bureau, since their goals are so aligned with our own. We work hard to promote responsible lending, guiding people through the process both at the time of their mortgage approval and further down the road. Decisions of this magnitude need to be carefully considered and we would embrace any organisation that promotes better management of personal finances.”