CITIZENS' Advice bureau staff may start making home visits thanks to a £106,000 lottery windfall.

Staff at the Clitheroe bureau in Wesleyan Row will use the cash from the National Lottery's Community Fund to develop outreach centres throughout the Ribble Valley and to extend opening hours to Wednesdays and a late weekday evening.

Last year the CAB helped around 5,000 Ribble Valley residents and was contacted by individuals representing 44 different locations across the borough.

The grant, which will be awarded over three years, will also be used to finance extra employees needed to staff outreach sessions and provide administration back-up.

And the Clitheroe CAB will also look at the possibility of making home visits following referrals from other professionals and organisations.

CAB manager Shirley Wallbank said: "We have carried out home visits in the past, but resources have always been a problem. Now though, we hope to be able to do more in year two of the funding programme."

The cash will mean a possible eight outreach centres could be set up around the Ribble Valley.

She added: "As we all know, the Ribble Valley has been very badly affected by the foot and mouth outbreak and by taking our services out into the community to outreach centres we will, hopefully, be able to offer the best advice and help we can.

"Rural areas should not be disadvantaged and residents should be able to access the same services as people in towns and cities do.

"We are looking to address that issue and give people that opportunity."

Shirley said: "We are going to be looking at where there are problems with transport for people, areas where people cannot get into Clitheroe conveniently and where there are a lot of people congregating.

"We can then locate outreach centres there and give a better service providing all the same advice, but moving out of Clitheroe into the Ribble Valley itself."

She added that the CAB is also looking to open its doors on a Wednesday and possibly on one evening a week to improve access to its facilities.

New staff are also expected to be taken on as future projects get under way.

The centre is currently open from 10am to 4pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.