The women who shaped our service
Throughout our 80 year history, pioneering women have shaped our service, set our direction and driven our work to help everyone, whoever they are.
This International Women’s Day we’re celebrating these inspirational women!
Dorothy Keeling
Dorothy Keeling shaped Citizens Advice from the very beginning — she was involved in setting up the first advice service in Liverpool and she used the evidence they were gathering on money lending problems to campaign for change. Her influencing work contributed to the first interest rate cap on lending in the Moneylenders Act 1927!
In 1940, Dorothy helped to develop the service — setting out the aims and principles which aren’t too different to today’s. During the Blitz, she went out and gave advice on the streets, in shelters and rest centres. Dorothy also developed our policy function by working with the Ministry of Information to feed them intelligence about problems people were experiencing.
Pansy Jeffrey
Pansy came to the UK from Guyana in the early 1950s to work as a nurse and health visitor in the NHS. She started working as a community development worker at North Kensington Citizens Advice after the Notting Hill race riots in 1958. Pansy visited prisons and set up English lessons for clients so they could find work.
Pansy helped ensure that the service could meet the needs of diverse communities, helped with problems from housing to relationships and played a vital role in supporting the communities of Kensington.
Rachel Reckitt
Rachel was working at the Citizens Advice in the East End of London during the Blitz. After realising that the people who needed advice after an air raid wouldn’t go to their local offices she set up advice sessions in air raid shelters!
In January 1941, she set about getting funding for a mobile Citizens Advice to take advice to people in areas most affected by the Blitz. In April 1942, the mobile team went to Bath to give advice after an air raid and Rachel saw 87 people in 5 hours — describing it as ‘about the most amusing day I have ever spent’.
Cornelia Sorabji
After being denied her law degree for over 30 years because she was a woman, Cornelia returned to India where she gave independent legal advice to disadvantaged women. Cornelia came back to the UK in 1929 to retire, but volunteered to run one of the first Citizens Advice services that opened after the outbreak of World War 1.
Cornelia drew up budgets for clients, negotiated with creditors and gave advice on finding new jobs to clients ranging from cafe owners to glaziers!
These are just some of the women who have shaped our service. Who are you inspired by this International Women’s Day? Let us know on Twitter!
