moving on 2008 Lewes district primary schools annual ... - Viva Lewes

Name: Claire Jeary
What do you do? As of July 1st, I’m the new manager of
the Lewes and Seaford Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB)
Where is the CAB based? 3 North Court - the alleyway
off Cliffe High Street near Oyster Lingerie.
How long have you been involved with the CAB? -
It’s been nearly four years as a volunteer and an advisor.
Why did you choose to work for the CAB? Because it’s
a fantastic service offering clear practical advice, which I
passionately believe in. Also my mum was a volunteer.
So what’s on offer at the CAB? When the CAB was
originally set up during the 1940s, it focused on re-uniting
people affected by the war - helping with housing,
food, benefits and grants. Nowadays, our remit is to provide
free, impartial and confidential advice to everyone
in the Lewes District. We offer a totally inclusive service
covering issues as diverse as debt management, benefits
advice, relationship problems, housing, employment,
immigration and consumer issues.
What’s the quality of the advice? Any advice given will
have been cross-checked and approved by one of our supervisors.
The advice itself comes from our central UK
database, and that is constantly being checked and audited
by independent assessors. So we’re confident that
we are always offering current and accurate advice.
So what happens on a ‘normal day’? Every day is very
different, but I’d say that on an average day we have 4 or
5 of our 45 advisors offering practical advice either over
the phone (01273 473082) or directly in our offices to
anyone who needs our help.
Who uses the CAB’s services? I’d like to stress that
our services are here for everyone to use. At the moment
we’re sure that there are many more people who could
be benefiting from the service and we encourage anyone
with a worry or an issue to contact us.
W W W. V I V A L E W E S . C O M
t r A d E S E C r E t S
Are there any plans to widen the range of services
or move offices? We’re happy with the office space - we
have three private interview rooms and an office - and
just want more people to use us!
What is your favourite shop in Lewes? Sussex Stationers,
as I seem to spend much of my spare time there
looking at and buying books…
Recommend somewhere to eat out? The Jolly Sportsman
at East Chiltington
What sort of businesses do you think Lewes needs
to attract? There appears to be a gap in the market for a
wine bar in the town.
Would a redeveloped Phoenix area be good for the
town? Potentially. The Riverside is seriously under-utilised
and would clearly benefit from some form of development,
but this has to be closely managed. What we
don’t need is something which looks like a cut and paste
city development.
Any thoughts on the Lewes parking scheme? I think
it’s crippling the town. It’s unnecessarily aggressive with
its enormous team of wardens. And it’s shocking that it is
now cheaper and easier to park in Brighton.
If you could change one thing about Lewes, what
would it be? I’d make the town more pedestrian and
cyclist friendly.
Give a top tip to our readers: If you need help, the
sooner you come to see us, the easier it is going to be
for us to help.
Is there anything you always get asked? Q - Are you
really a charity? A - Yes, we receive no central government
funding, so we’re always keen to hear from companies
and individuals able to help us.
What are your opening hours? 9.30 - 3.45pm Mon,
Tues & Thurs, 9.30 - 12.45pm Weds & Fri. V
Interview by Nick Williams
Photograph: Katie Moorman
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