AS part of our 170th anniversary celebrations, the County Gazette has launched a Community Fund to give a platform to the exceptional voluntary work which goes on throughout our community. We have been asking organisations to write in and tell us why they need fundraising support. We are featuring one group each week in the County Gazette, and this week its the turn of Taunton Citizens Advice Bureau.

Taunton Citizens Advice Bureau TAUNTON Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) is a local charity serving the Borough of Taunton Deane.

The service helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free information and advice, and by influencing policymakers.

We provide this from our office in Station Road and also from outreaches at Priorswood, Rydon House,Wellington, Wiveliscombe and Milverton.

For our clients who can not leave their homes we provide a domiciliary visit.

Advice and information is provided, in the main, by our professionally trained volunteers, who undergo a year of training to qualify.

In addition we have some paid specialists who provide legal aid advice for clients of limited means who require help with employment, welfare benefits and debt.

In all Taunton CAB has over 80 volunteers and 14 paid staff working across the departments including IT, training, publicity, statistics and information.

Each year we see nearly 6,000 clients and give advice on more than 14,000 issues.

We have to raise our own funds annually to continue operating.

Our parish councils are exceptionally good to us.

TDBC and SCC donate a grant and clients make a donation when they can but we are still in urgent need of funds.

We are currently raising money to cover our next volunteer training course which will ensure that we continue to meet the demands of our community with this essential service.

ö To apply, e-mail communityfund@countygazette.co.uk or write to Community Fund, Somerset County Gazette, St James Street, Taunton TA1 1JR.

Include 150 words about the cause and its fundraising need/s, with details of how readers can make donations.

ö The Albemarle Centre ö The New Build Appeal, St Margaret's Hospice ö ESCAPE Support Group providing activities for disabled children and their families ö Mindline Somerset ö SAB C Somerset Association for the Blind ö Taunton Well Woman Centre ö Home-Start Taunton Deane ö Somerset Wildlife Trust ö 1st Wellington Scout Group ö East Somerset Railway ö Kingsmead School Society ö Chedzoy Pre-School ö HELP C Holiday Endeavour for Lone Parents ö St John Ambulance Taunton Combined Adult Division ö Somerset Cancer Care ö Victim Support Somerset ö The Open Door C Taunton's homeless charity ö North Town Primary School (new sensory room planned for special needs children) ö Norton Fitzwarren Village Hall Chair Appeal ö Norton Fitzwarren Pre-School ö Moon Bear Rescue (Quantocks based) ö Somerset Prostate Cancer Support Association ö Reminiscence Learning ö Conquest Centre ö Taunton Sea Cadets ö Pawlett Village Playgroup ö Taunton Vale Disability Club ö Wellington St John Ambulance ö Selworthy School ö BIBIC, Pawlett ö Carer Support Programme (CSP) helping parents who bring up/care for disabled children in the county ö Labrador Rescue Trust in Somerset ö Hemyock Pre-School ö Huish Woods Scout Camp Site C also the centenary year of Scouting ö Buckland St Mary Pre-School ö Taunton Beekeepers ö Holy Cross Church, Hillfarrance ö Taunton & District Mencap ö Taunton Womens Refuge ö Staplegrove Scout Group ö SASBAH Somerset Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus ö Taunton Deane Association for Neighbourhood Care ö Taunton Opportunity Playgroup ö Ruishton Ladies C knitting ö Helens Rabbit and Guinea Pig Boarding and Rescue ö Taunton Citizens Advice Bureau ö Macmillan Cancer Support ö Railway Runabouts