THE mayor of Okehampton and a town councillor 'called in' to the Citizens Advice Bureau in Okehampton recently for the launch of the bureau's new telephone system.

An Awards for All grant from the Big Lottery Fund means the charity, which has offices at the Ockment Centre and Kingdon House in Tavistock, is now able to answer more calls from people looking for advice.

Mandy Kenyon, acting CAB manager in West Devon, said: 'This new system means that not only will more people be able to receive the help they need, but we will actually be able to hear them.

'Our previous telephone system was ancient and crackly and we had difficulty transferring calls to the right person. Now operations are much smoother and we hope this will provide a better experience for both our volunteers and clients.'

The next challenge for the bureau will be to recruit further volunteers to answer the new telephones. Full training is provided and a fast track assessor course is due to begin on November 1, with training sessions on Friday mornings and observations sessions during the week.

The CAB provides free, impartial and confidential advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. They deliver these advice services from more than 3,500 locations in England and Wales, run by 382 individual charities.

They help people with problems that affect their civil rights.

It is best known for its work with debt and welfare benefit issues, but also provides advice on other subjects including housing, employment, relationship and consumer issues.

The West Devon branch of CAB, which serves the entire borough, safeguarded its future earlier this year by merging Torridge, North Devon and Mid Devon CAB to form one large CAB charity and company limited by guarantee — the Torridge, North, Mid and West Devon Citizens' Advice Bureau.

With government funding cuts hitting many organisations, the two groups held talks for more than 18 months before pressing ahead with the merger to ensure CAB services can survive in West Devon. As well as receiving funding from Devon County Council and West Devon Borough Council, the CAB has to generate money through grant applications.

The Okehampton office is open between 10am and 2pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. In Tavistock the CAB office is open between 10am and 2pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

For advice from the CAB, call 08444 111 444, or for information about volunteering email [email protected]">[email protected]