Photo caption (from left to right):
Noel Thompson, BBC, Maeve Walls, Voluntary Community Unit, DSD, Mary Field, Youthnet NI, Jay Colville, Nationwide, Derek Alcorn, Citizens Advice, Kelly Collins, Citizens Advice and Margaret Toner, Newry CAB
Citizens Advice and Nationwide Building society have joined forces on a three year partnership, Money Active, which will train volunteers to carry out financial education work in their local communities.
This new initiative is part of a UK wide investment by Nationwide which will bring £105,000 into Northern Ireland over the next 3 years. This will fund the recruitment and training of a team of local volunteers who will provide financial education training and advice on money matters to young people and others.
Citizens Advice in Northern Ireland will be partnering with Nationwide locally on this new programme which will enable the delivery of practical money management community sessions to over 4,000 community members across Northern Ireland. The programme will equip individuals to budget, borrow and save with confidence, providing support to avoid financial problems and to seek support and early referral to emergency debt crisis services where needed.
Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, Derek Alcorn, said: “We are very pleased to be working with Nationwide on the issues of financial capability. The support they have provided will enable the CAB network to expand its volunteering base and create a new financial education role for volunteers across Northern Ireland. This initiative will enable Citizens Advice to support 4,000 local people with financial issues and help them get the most from their money and avoid financial crises. The importance of this in the current financial climate does not need to be emphasised.”
Jay Colville, Area Director of Nationwide, said: “We are delighted to support the education of volunteers across Northern Ireland and demonstrate that we are committed to supporting the local community. We hope our £105,000 donation to Citizens Advice will encourage more education on how to manage money.”