MORE services are planned by a busy advice service which helped a record number of people last year.

Wear Valley Citizen's Advice Bureau (CAB) has been given funding for six extra sessions away from its base in Bishop Auckland's Lightfoot Institute.

In the past 12 months, staff handled 17,046 inquiries from 9,154 clients, which was 14 per cent up on 1999.

Its benefit advice service, based in three GP surgeries, gave people an extra £204,421 in their pockets over the first nine months alone.

It found a total £16,240 from charities for people in desperate situations, who could not get help from elsewhere.

Bureau manager Hilary Widdowfield predicts a bright future in her annual report.

She said new Tuesday and Friday outreach sessions are already being held at the Signpost office, in Hope Street, Crook, on Wednesdays and Fridays, at Woodhouse Close Community Centre, Bishop Auckland, and one on Thursdays at Tow Law Community Centre.

A weekly session is to start on May 14, at the Goodall Centre, Bishop Auckland.

She said: "We are constantly striving to improve access to our service, and with the service operating in 2001 to 2002 in five parts of the district, at eight different venues, we seem to have been very successful."

Mrs Widdowfield thanked her team of volunteers and the bureau's main source of funds, Wear Valley District Council.

To learn about CAB services or how to become a volunteer telephone the Lightfoot Institute on (01388) 606661, or 2D (formerly Wear Valley Volunteer Development Agency) at Crook Business Centre (01388) 762220. Libraries also have information.