Sedgefield & District Citizens Advice Bureau
“Yes, we need to do this!” were the first words which came to Donna’s mind when she heard about the Places for Everyone programme. For her, the programme came at the perfect time: “We were just starting to think about purchasing a property and had started looking for a suitable building; but didn’t have a clue about where to start.”
Donna Stewart, Business Development Manager for Sedgefield and District Citizens Advice Bureau, found that the organisation’s previous premises were not providing clients with the comfort and space they required: “One of the complaints we used to get from clients was that the waiting room was too small and it was always too warm or too cold. Often, when clients come in for advice they are already anxious and sitting cramped together didn’t help this,” said Donna.
“When we went on the programme I saw the steps and the processes that the organisation needed to go through."
With the motivation to provide an even better service to their clients, Donna and her team began contemplating purchasing and refurbishing a property. Yet, Donna remembers how daunting the project was: “There were so many ways of doing the project that I thought ‘how on earth am I going to get this done?’”
"We found out that a lot of support was available and with help we got through the right doors for funding.”
Together with her treasurer, John Billington, Donna participated in the Places for Everyone programme and began to move the Advice Bureau’s plans from an idea through to completion. At times, when the project seemed overwhelming, Donna depended on John to remain positive and the Places for Everyone programme, which broke the project down into achievable stages: “When we went on the programme I saw the steps and the processes that the organisation needed to go through. We found out that a lot of support was available and with help we got through the right doors for funding.”
“After attending the workshop and getting close support I felt ‘I can really do this.’ It was excellent.”
With the combination of a strong, committed team and support and guidance from the Places for Everyone programme, the project gained momentum: “It was all systems go straight away! The programme gave us inspiration and the confidence to think outside the box; without it we wouldn’t have been nearly as quick getting the project started,” Donna recognises.
Donna appointed Andrew Lorimer from Wakefields Chartered Surveyors as project manager and he oversaw the refurbishment of the project including design, tendering, appointing contractors and contract compliance. With Andrew managing the project, Donna was able to concentrate on financing and successfully secured funding in excess of £290,000 from a range of bodies.
“It was just wonderful seeing the whole project develop from an idea. I’m very proud.”
With this money, the Advice Bureau team bought and converted an old pub building into new premises which are proving hugely beneficial: “The bureau now has six advice rooms instead of three and we can stay open longer hours as we have hired a receptionist. Our client waiting times have decreased and the ability to do in house training is saving our organisation additional costs. Also, the staff are all in one building and the atmosphere is friendlier,” explained Donna.
“The programme went beyond my expectations."
The new building has also interested local community groups who can rent out rooms. After a hugely successful opening ceremony, covered by the Northern Echo, and a local Winter Fair planned in December to help raise funds, Donna feels that the new premises are already raising the profile of the bureau within the community. She notes: “It was just wonderful seeing the whole project develop from an idea. I’m very proud.”
For Donna, the Places for Everyone programme was integral to the completion of the project: “The programme went beyond my expectations. After attending the workshop and getting close support I felt ‘I can really do this.’ It was excellent.”
