Stephen Salter

Board member and volunteer adviser
Became a trustee in: 2008

As well as being a trustee, I am a volunteer at Citizens Advice Exeter. The best part about volunteering is getting a ‘Thank you’ from a client whom you have advised. Their issue may not have gone away, but the client knows they have a Citizens Advice advisor working alongside them.
 
I became a trustee to see the broader picture of Citizens Advice Exeter’s operations and stand back to make sure it’s going in the right direction.

Before joining Citizens Advice Exeter I worked in Lloyds TSB for 30 years. Now I volunteer at the charity as a generalist advisor, specialising in money advice. I see my role on the trustee board as ensuring the other trustees understand the charity’s operations. I also like to look at the nitty-gritty of what’s going on.

For me, Citizens Advice Exeter is a place where someone can go to have a confidential discussion and come away knowing they have received good quality advice. Other organisations may ask: ‘What can I get from the client?’ but Citizens Advice Exeter says: ‘What can I give to the client?’ Everything the charity does is for the benefit of our clients.

Volunteering at Citizens Advice Exeter can be a humbling experience. Seeing some clients makes you realise what you’ve got. Volunteering can be very rewarding. You really can achieve success and can help clients walk away from an advice session feeling relieved – they have a solution at last.

My hope for the future is to ensure Citizens Advice Exeter has the capacity to meet everybody’s needs. For example, if twenty people suddenly needed to see us tomorrow, we could cope with twenty people.

I am married with two daughters. I am a church member and part of the ISCA Christian Fellowship. I also invigilate exams at several secondary schools in Exeter.