Mike Maguire

Board member, chair of Operations and Policy Committee
Became a trustee in: 1985

Citizens Advice Exeter has a super team of volunteers backed up by specialist advisers. Together, they are capable of tackling the widest range of complex issues faced by individuals living and working in Exeter.

The best part about being a trustee is being able to support one of the most important non-governmental organizations that can – and does – make such a difference to people’s lives in a great variety of difficult and complex circumstances. A trustee’s role is to champion and support the work and development of the charity to meet the needs of the local community within the national framework and standards set by Citizen’s Advice.

Citizens Advice is a national family of advice and help providers where highly motivated, trained volunteers are supported by a small core of paid staff. All volunteers and staff are amazingly dedicated to supporting individuals on so many different aspects of life’s issues and difficulties, whether financial, housing, or employment related.

My hope for Citizens Advice Exeter is that it continues to receive funding to grow and further develop as one of the best advice charities in the region. This includes increasingly working in networked partnership with other Citizens Advice services in order to further develop, ensure and sustain the capacity to win contracts to deliver specialist services, whether to meet regional and government funded initiatives, and/or to provide tailored services for and in partnership with other organisations.

I retired from Devon County Council in 2010 where my job as ‘Service Development Manager’ for Devon Libraries included membership of the Libraries Strategic Management Team and managing three specialist teams covering

• Adult Lending Services (including services to the very elderly, those with disabilities and others who cannot make walk-in use of the Library Service)
• Services to Children and Young People
• Information and learning Support services, including Local Studies

I first became a Citizens Advice trustee back in the mid 1980s to represent Devon Libraries and my interest and support continues to develop year on year.

One of my main leisure interests is table tennis – I play in the local league and am a committee member of both Westexe Table Tennis Club and the Exeter and District Table Tennis League.

My wife and I are now both retired and our four grownup children have all now left. Our eldest daughter having presented us with two grandchildren, we’re much involved in their care.

What little ‘spare’ time is left is given to travel, photography and music concerts.