AN UNEXPECTED grant of almost half a million pounds has been awarded to West Devon Citizens' Advice Bureau, giving hundreds of people living in rural areas better access to advice.
CAB staff are celebrating the windfall from the Big Lottery Fund's Advice Plus Programme which they bid for but did not think stood a chance of getting.
CAB development officer Mandy Kenyon said: 'The news is positive, brilliant and above all offers hope to those who usually miss out.
'From what I could gather the programme was not designed for small rural projects like ours but for more urban arrangements where everything is situated in one building.
'However, we took the brief and turned it upside down and made it fit our rural situation and it's fantastic because we got exactly what we asked for.'
Mandy said parts of West Devon were among the most geographically deprived in the country and residents had been hit by recent cuts in rural services such as post offices, social services and job centres, plus the uncertainty about boundary changes and the credit crunch.
She said: 'This grant means advice services in rural West Devon can be really well established and well used.
'We are so excited about improving access to advice through home visiting, outreaches, advice by email and joining up with other groups to make sure people who really need help are not missed out, because of where they live.'
The money would also help with training volunteers who the CAB was 'absolutely reliant on' she said: 'We have roughly 25 volunteers in West Devon at the moment but we are always looking to recruit.
'We tend to get more complicated enquiries now because simple ones people can sort out themselves on the internet and so additional training is vital.'
Debts and employment were top of the list: 'The impact of job centres closing is that we have a lot of queries about employment and then there is the introduction of the new employment support allowance. Debt is also increasing and people are having difficulty accessing crisis loans.'
The five-year project will enable West Devon CAB, which has bases in Tavistock and Okehampton, to lead a partnership of advice agencies to improve services for people.
A common referral system will be developed between partners along with a website and a scheme to provide advice via email.
West Devon Borough Council's West Devon Connect service has been working closely with the CAB over the last 18 months.
Customer service officer Darren Cole said he was delighted for the bureau because they did so much good work.
'Gone are the days when we all went about our business separately,' he said. 'In order to make it active in the modern age we need to have a targeted approach which is all joined up and sustainable.
'Through our outreach surgeries we have seen 3,500 people and 80 to 90% of these enquiries would not have been made had we not gone out into the communities because many people carry problems around with them without venting them.
'We have increased the amount of welfare benefits in the borough because we are helping people to access what they are entitled to.'
Big Lottery head of region for the South West Mark Cotton said; 'This funding is crucial as it will pave the way for people to get better access to advice services, to help them understand and resolve problems related to their rights and responsibilities, making a huge difference to the basic conditions of their lives.'
The CAB in West Devon receives some funding from Devon County Council and West Devon Borough Council but the remaining cash to run the service has to come from grants. It is currently bidding for money from the Waitrose community fund for a specialist money advice worker.
l Okehampton CAB currently operates from the Inspiration Centre but will return to the Ockment Centre after its refurbishment. It is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays (10am to noon for appointments and noon to 2pm for drop-in) and Wednesdays (10am to 2pm appointments only.) Phone 01837 52574 to book an appointment.
For an outreach appointment or home visit contact 01837 52105.