Moving on from a year in lockdown
Laura Hyde, CEO of Citizens Advice East Herts, looks back at a year in lockdown and how our charity has adapted to meet changing needs On 23rd March last year the country went into lockdown and we moved to providing our free advice service remotely. Over a year on we’re still here and helping but as the country starts to ‘unlock’ now feels like a good time to reflect on how we’ve adapted as well as some of our plans for the future. How we’ve adapted Citizens Advice was founded the day after World War II broke out to help people with problems ranging from evacuation to rations. Our Ware branch opened shortly after in 1940. As a service and as an organisation, we’ve come a long way in our 81-year history but the issues we’re helping with remain much the same –trying to ensure people have enough food to eat, money to live on and a secure roof over their heads. Covid-19 has caused huge upheaval and change for all of us but if you’re young, BAME, in insecure work or private rented hous