Retirement is Just the Beginning: Discover a Rewarding New Chapter with Citizens Advice Wirral

Retirement marks the end of one career, but it can also be the start of an exciting new journey. Citizens Advice Wirral is encouraging retired and soon to be retired people to put their lifetime of skills and experience to good use by becoming volunteers and making a real difference in their local community.

Whether you’ve spent decades in engineering, education, healthcare, administration, business, or any other profession, your knowledge, problem solving abilities and life experience can have a lasting impact on the lives of local people facing difficult challenges.

Volunteering with Citizens Advice Wirral offers far more than the opportunity to give back. It provides a chance to stay mentally active, learn new skills, meet new people, and become part of a supportive team dedicated to helping others.

Mike, who joined Citizens Advice Wirral after a 53-year career as an electrical engineer, was looking for something completely different after retirement.

“I needed something different to keep my brain working,” he says. Now, three years later, Mike enjoys the variety each day brings and has become an experienced adviser who mentors new volunteers. “I enjoy volunteering at Citizens Advice Wirral because every day is different,” he explains. “Seeing students increase their confidence as they progress with their training is really rewarding.” His advice to anyone considering volunteering is simple: “Try it, as it is very rewarding.”

Carol also found a renewed sense of purpose after retiring from a long career in Libraries, Museums and Galleries at the University of Liverpool. Since joining Citizens Advice Wirral, she has volunteered as an Adviser, and has now become part of the Research and Campaigns team. She also serves as Citizens Advice Wirral’s Volunteer Representative, acting as the voice of volunteers on the organisation’s Board. In this role, she champions volunteer wellbeing, raises issues and ideas that matter to volunteers, and works closely with the team to continually improve the volunteer experience for everyone. For Carol, volunteering has provided an opportunity to continue learning, use the skills developed throughout her career, build meaningful relationships with people from all walks of life, and give back to the community in a purposeful way.

Karen’s journey demonstrates just how far volunteering can take you. After retiring from a career in education on ill health grounds, she joined Citizens Advice Wirral as a trainee volunteer in 2014. Through extensive training, ongoing development and determination, she progressed through a range of advice roles before becoming the organisation’s first volunteer Advice Team Leader.

Karen says volunteering gave her renewed purpose and a supportive “work family” while allowing her to continue learning and helping others despite no longer being able to return to paid employment. She believes the organisation provides a welcoming environment where volunteers are encouraged to grow.

“Knowing that you are making a genuine difference in someone’s life makes every challenge worthwhile,” she says.

Citizens Advice Wirral welcomes people looking for a meaningful way to stay active, connected and involved in retirement. No previous advice experience is required, with full training and ongoing support provided. Volunteering offers the opportunity to use existing skills, develop new ones and make a real difference to people across Wirral.

To find out more about volunteering with Citizens Advice Wirral, visit our volunteering web pages.