Advice organisations

Find out about the organisations that offer advice and support both locally and nationally.

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice provides free, confidential, impartial and independent advice on a range of issues. The majority of the advisers are trained volunteers, with support from local councils and a variety of specialist funders. Citizens Advice offers help with areas including benefits, debt, housing, energy, work, immigration, law and courts, housing, consumer issues as well as more specialist topics.

A huge amount of information can be found on the Citizens Advice website, or residents can choose to call the advice line or visit in person.

Citizens Advice South Hams:
0808 278 7948 (available Monday - Friday 9am – 5pm)
reception@southhamscab.org.uk
Citizens Advice South Hams has an office in Follaton as well as outreaches in Totnes, Kingsbridge and Dartmouth. No appointments are needed for visits. Opening hours are as follows:
Main Office (Follaton House, Plymouth Road, Totnes, TQ9 5NE): Open Monday to Friday 10am – 1pm and 2pm to 4pm.
Dartmouth (The Community Corner, Market Square, Dartmouth, TQ6 9SE): Open Mondays 10am to 1.30pm.
Kingsbridge (Quay House, Ilbert Road, Kingsbridge, TQ7 1DZ): Open Tuesdays 9.30am – 12.30pm.
Totnes (The Mansion, 36 Fore Street, Totnes, TQ9 5RP): Open Wednesdays 9.30am – 12.30pm.
Find out more: https://southhamscab.org.uk/

Citizens Advice Torbay:
0808 278 7859 (available Monday - Friday 9.30am – 12.30pm)
Citizens Advice Torbay has an office in Paignton and an outreach in Brixham, but asks people to call the advice line before visiting.
Main Office (29 Palace Avenue, Paignton, TQ3 3EQ – entrance on Tower Road)
Brixham (YES Brixham, The Edge, Bolton Street, Brixham, TQ5 9DH): Open Thursday 10am – 2pm.
Find out more: http://www.citizensadvicetorbay.org.uk/

YES! Brixham

YES! Brixham offers information, advice, support and guidance on a number of subjects, as well as providing a warm space with hot food and refreshments. Residents can drop in Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10am – 4.30pm and Wednesday 1pm – 4.30pm. Other services include a food bank and community fridge, help for those discharged from hospital, and a Mens’ shed where men (and women) can meet to chat while repairing furniture. YES! Brixham also offers support with Devon Home Choice applications, PIP and DLA Forms, Blue Badge applications, mandatory reconsiderations, benefit checks and other forms.

YES! Brixham hosts the following regular services and activities.

Monday: Yoga, drum circle, school nurse, mending club.
Tuesday: Computer club, yoga, games club, sewing .
Wednesday: Yoga, Ukraine support group, Young volunteers.
Thursday: Cooking club, games club, music, yoga, beading group.
Friday: Trapeze yoga.
Saturday: Yoga, roleplaying.
Sunday: Mindfulness

Contact details:
01803 851414
info@yesbrixham.org.uk
YES Brixham, The Edge, Bolton Street, Brixham, TQ5 9DH
Find out more: https://www.bxyes.org.uk/services-4

Dartmouth Community Chest

Dartmouth Community Chest offers a vast range of services to support local people, operating out of the Community Corner café in Dartmouth. A food pantry and food parcel delivery service is available every day, as are a hygiene bank, uniform swap rail, warm coats and shoe bank, and fuel poverty top ups and support.

Dartmouth Community Chest also hosts the following regular services and activities:

Monday: Warm space, hot meals and food to take away, advice from organisations such as Citizens Advice, South West Water, housing associations and local council.
Tuesday: Special educational needs support group.
Wednesday: Warm space, knit and natter, craft day, evening mental health support group for men. Thursday: Youth night, burger night, youth worker support, cooking lessons for young people.
Friday: Warm space, hot meals, friendship support group. Every other week, a drug and alcohol worker attends.
Every other week, Public Health Devon join the Dartmouth Community Chest team, bringing in other groups to offer an oral health clinic, mental health support etc. Once a month there is a community market, helping local people to start small businesses with lower costs. There is also a monthly community get together where residents can share what they need and want. A free Christmas Day lunch is served every year, while toy parcels will be delivered to local people two weeks before Christmas.

Contact details:
07496 349234
Dartmouthcommunitychest@yahoo.com
Dartmouth Community Chest, Community Corner, Unit 9, The Market, Dartmouth, TQ6 9SE

Other independent organisations offering advice

Devon Age UK - 0333 241 2340 - www.ageuk.org.uk/devon/

Energy Saving Advice Trust - 0300 123 1234 - www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

National Debtline - 0808 808 4000

Samaritans UK – 116 123 - www.samaritans.org

Shelter (homelessness) – 0808 800 4444 - england.shelter.org.uk/

The Farming Community Network - 03000 111 999 - www.fcn.org.uk

The Law Society - www.lawsociety.org.uk

The Money Advice Service - 0300 500 5000 - www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk

Other useful contacts

Business Rates - www.gov.uk/introduction-to-business-rates

Childcare Choices - www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Crimestoppers - 0800 555 111 - www.crimestoppers-uk.org

Devon and Cornwall Police - https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/

Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner - https://www.devonandcornwall-pcc.gov.uk/

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service - https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/

Devon County Council - https://www.devon.gov.uk/
(Find your local Devon County Councillor here)

Disability Service Centre (DLA & PIP queries) - www.gov.uk/disability-benefits-helpline

Environment Agency Floodline – 0345 988 1188 (24 hour service) or Type Talk 0345 602 6340

Environment Agency Incident Reporting Hotline - 0800 80 70 60 (24 hour service - check what you can report here: https://www.gov.uk/report-an-environmental-incident)

'Find a job' - www.gov.uk/jobsearch

Help to Buy (housing) - www.helptobuy.gov.uk

HMRC - www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs

Jobcentre Plus - 0345 604 3719 - www.gov.uk/contact-jobcentre-plus

National Rail Enquiries - 03457 484950 - www.nationalrail.co.uk

NHS:
Torbay & South Devon NHS Foundation Trust - https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust - https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/
Local walk-in centres - https://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Walk-in%20centre/LocationSearch/663

Ofcom (TV, Radio and phone/internet regulator) - 0300 123 3333 - www.ofcom.org.uk

Ofgem (energy regulator) - 03454 040506 - www.ofgem.gov.uk

Ofwat (water regulator) - 0300 034 2222 - www.ofwat.gov.uk

Solicitors Regulation Authority - 0370 606 2555 - www.sra.org.uk/home

South Hams District Council - https://www.southhams.gov.uk/
(Find your local South Hams District Councillor here)
South Hams District Council also has a Support Directory here

South West Water - 0330 303 1263 (24hr) - www.southwestwater.co.uk/

South Western Ambulance Service - https://www.swast.nhs.uk/welcome

Starting a Business - www.gov.uk/browse/business/setting-up

Tax Credits (HMRC) - 0345 300 3900

Torbay Council - https://www.torbay.gov.uk/
(Find your local Torbay Councillor here)

Travel advice (FCO) - www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

UK Government website - www.gov.uk

Universal Credit helpline - 0345 600 0723

Winter Fuel Payments - 03459 151 515

Who to call in case of a...

Gas emergency: National Grid – 0800 111 999 (Gas) - www.nationalgrid.com/uk/gas-transmission/safety-and-emergencies/emergencies-and-safety-advice

Power cut - 105 - www.powercut105.com/