Advocacy Information & Advice—Benefits & Advice
Local contacts
Beds & Cambs Rural Support Group
Wood Farm
Hail Weston
St Neots
PE19 5LA
Tel: 08454 500290 (Rural Support Helpline)
Website: www.ruralsupport-bedscambs.org.uk
The Beds & Cambs Rural Support Group is a local charity that offers a confidential listening, sign-posting and advice service
to people faced with rural isolation, stress, homelessness, financial hardship and redundancy. The group operates through a network
of contacts from farming and training organisations, local churches and trade unions and aims to identify the right source of help
for people in difficulty and work with them to obtain it. Working and living in the countryside, the volunteers can relate to problems
at first hand and act as a bridge between those in need and the traditional support and benefit agencies, which are usually town based.
They also know about specialist sources of assistance directed specifically at people employed in farming.
In addition to its information
and advice service, the group organises practical local initiatives where possible, for example, free courses on career changes are
run in conjunction with Cambridge IAG for people in rural industries who are having to consider changing their livelihoods, sometimes
for the first time.
Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum
62-64 Victoria Road
Cambridge
CB4 3DU
Tel/fax: 01223 315877 (office)
Email: info@cecf.co.uk
Website: www.cecf.co.uk
Open weekdays 10.00am-4.00pm.
The Forum is a voluntary organisation that provides support to ethnic communities on a range of issues including racial harassment, housing, employment, health, nationality, immigration, education, criminal justice system, social welfare.
Citizens Advice Bureaux
Huntingdon Citizens Advice Bureau
6 All Saints Passage
Huntingdon
PE29 3LE
Tel: 01480 388900
Email: huntingdon@huntscab.org.uk
Website: http://www.huntscab.org.uk/
Open Monday - Thursday 9.30am – 12.30pm (Drop in) Telephone Service and appointments Monday - Thursday 12.30 - 3.30pm.
St Neots Citizens Advice Bureau
Oak House
28 New Street
St Neots
PE19 1AJ
Tel: 01480 388905
Email: stneots@huntscab.org.luk
Open Monday - Thursday 10.00am - 1.00pm (Drop In)
Appointments and telephone Monday - Thursday 1pm - 4pm
Department for Work and Pensions
(The Social Security Office)
Clifton House
84 Broadway
Peterborough
PE1 1QZ
Tel: 01733 297600
Website: www.dss.gov.uk
The social security office provides information on benefits in English and a wide range of other languages and processes most claims.
Useful leaflets which they publish include:
- Sick or Disabled (SD1)
- Sick and Unable to Work (SD2)
- Long Term ill or Disabled (SD3)
- Caring for Someone (SD4)
The agency also operates the Benefit Enquiry Line for general advice and information for disabled people and carers, but cannot deal with individual claims. Forms, which are dispatched from the BEL, will be dated and any claim will be backdated to that time. In some circumstances forms can be completed over the phone.
Benefit Enquiry Lines for people with disabilities.
Tel: 0800 882200
Textphone: 0800 243355
Disability Information Service Huntingdonshire (DISH)
Pendrill Court
Papworth Everard
Cambs
CB3 8UY
Tel: 01480 830833
Email info@dish.org.uk
Website: www.dish.org.uk
Confidential information and advice for disabled people, older people and carers including parents
of children with disabilities and young carers. Information is available on all aspects of disability including welfare benefits, grants
for individuals, mobility, holidays and transport. DISH also works in partnership with other organisations to help raise the profile
of disability issues and provide a forum for disabled people and carers to make their views known.
Does take referrals, works in Hunts
and deals with people in mental health care.
Huntingdon Law Centre
7 Ermine Street
Huntingdon
Cambs
PE29 3EX
Tel: 01480 356778
Email: hlc@afl.org.uk
This service is for the people of Huntingdon and Fenland areas. The service is funded by the Community Legal Service and is a project of Cambridge Independent Advice Centre. It is aimed at people who are on low incomes. They provide advice and assistance with representation on welfare rights and debt this includes disability benefits, income support and housing benefit. Also provides advice on housing law and assisting people who are in danger of having their homes re-possessed. They can be contacted on the above telephone number between 10 am to 1pm Monday to Thursday for an appointment.
National contacts
Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society (COMBAT STRESS)
Head Office: Tyrwhitt House
Oaklawn Road
Leatherhead
Surrey
KT22 OBX
Tel: 01372 841600
Email: contactus@combatstress.org.uk
Website: www.combatstress.org.uk
They are the only organisation helping ex-servicemen/women of all ranks of the three services and the Merchant Navy suffering mental disability due to their service career. We have a network of twelve welfare officers who visit at home or hospital, and can help with war pensions and appeals, and three treatment centres in Surrey, Shropshire and Ayrshire offering respite care, also a welfare office in Northern Ireland.
Ex-services Mental Welfare Society (West Midlands)
Audley Court
Audley Avenue
Newport
Shropshire
TF10 7BT
Tel: 01952 822700
Email: wstno1@combatstress.org.uk
Website: www.combatstress.org.uk
The society provides free counselling and practical help (e.g. war disablement pension claims) for ex-services people. It also runs treatment centres for psychological injuries. Phone the above number 9.00am-5.00pm on weekdays to arrange an appointment with a local welfare officer.
