The Rural Reach Information and Advice Bus (also known as ‘RAB’) has secured funding of £255,000, over 3-years, from The National Lottery Community Fund. This project, along with our existing outreach service, will help us to extend our support to individuals and community groups in Hambleton and Richmondshire, in rural and isolated areas where there are few existing services.

Additional funding to support volunteers for the project has come from Richmondshire District Council, Hambleton District Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

RAB provides information and advice on various issues including consumer, energy, benefits (including Universal Credit), housing, employment and debt. The bus was modified by a member of staff voluntarily to help save money, and on-board are two fully trained Citizens Advice advisers, access to the internet, and local information in the form of leaflets and posters.

We can also arrange home visits for eligible vulnerable people unable to get out to our outreach locations or main offices,  for example, because of lack of transport or mobility issues. Please telephone either 01609 776551 (Hambleton residents) or 01748 823862 (Richmondshire residents) for further information.

Service times and locations

Please click here for up-to-date ‘bus’ timetable, or you can visit our fixed outreach locations across both districts for information and advice. To find out where our outreach locations are in your area, go to the Get advice and contact page and select your district.

Working in Partnership

RAB has also been working with other local organisations, such as the Fraud in the Marketplace event in Richmond alongside North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Trading Standards and local banks and has been loaned out to other local charities and organisations such as Age UK and Ex Forces Support. If you are an organisations and would like to find out more about joining us to local events or using RAB please contact Tracy Watts, projectmanager@northyorkslca.org.uk