TO celebrate 75 years – actually, it is 76 now – of the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, we have been commissioned to produce a publication on its history in County Durham and would like to flesh this out with real experiences.

CAB was founded on the day after the Second World War was declared on September 4, 1939, and is still providing free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities.

Current national trends are for information on basic rights at work, benefits and tax credits and consumer advice, but 75 years ago it was about rationing, military service, and housing.

In the 1980s it was about debt and the rights of striking miners. If any of your readers have a tale to tell (in confidence, of course) about how they have used CAB in the past, we would love to hear from them and include their recollections in the publication.

We would also love to hear from anyone who worked for CAB who might have some insight into how people’s problems changed over time. Another aspect of the project is to offer people an opportunity to carry out research at the archives at County Hall in Durham and to use this information and any other local stories to create a small exhibition. Training will be provided to help people use the archives if sufficient interest is expressed.

Caroline Hardie, Archaeo-Environment, Lartington. Email: caroline@aenvironment.co.uk