A CHARITY is celebrating its 10th anniversary of supporting and helping disadvantaged and vulnerable people.

Onside Independent Advocacy ensures that people, whether they are elderly, disabled or suffering from an illness, have the opportunity to have their views and wishes taken into account in decisions affecting their lives.

The organisation offers a wide variety of help including advice about benefits and health treatment.

It has come a long way since it was set up as the Worcestershire Citizen Advocacy in 1993.

In 1997 Onside received a National Lottery Charities Board grant for three years and it was able to increase its staff team to four.

"Originally there was one worker and a few volunteers," said Rachel Russell, from the group.

"Now we have around eight or nine employees and around 70 volunteers.

"Last year we supported more than 800 people."

The charity was recently awarded a grant of £59,425 by the Community Fund which will be used for the appointment a Volunteer Department and Participation Co-ordinator over a three-year period.

Scheme manager Kate Harvey said the past 10 years had been an amazing achievement and she could only see the organisation growing.

Disadvantage

"There is a growing need for people who find themselves facing bureaucracy and difficulty, and without support they are at a disadvantage," she said.

"Our expansion would be helping more groups of people".

While advocates are trained and supported by the advocacy scheme, they are essentially working as citizens.

Mike Wright has been an advocate for four years and said that he became involved because he was previously working for another advocacy project in South Worcestershire and wanted to carry on with the work.

He works for the NHS as a manager of another advocacy project for people with cancer from minority groups in Birmingham.

"The important thing is that we are supporting them with issues that we all have to deal with.

The 42-year-old from Claines said: "At some stage we all need support when we come across something we have not experienced before".

The charity is funded by a variety of sources, including charitable trusts, Opportunities for Volunteering, Worcestershire County Council and South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust.