Dealing with your problem

If you are aged 55 or over and live in Islington and have concerns about your benefits and other money issues, housing, transport, health, personal matters, employment, leisure, consumer issues, and community care then please get in touch.

Our Access and Inclusion service has two advisors who have considerable experience in dealing with a wide range of issues. Family members or carers can also contact us on your behalf.

Don’t worry if you feel your problems might not seem important, or that they feel too big to deal with; we are here to help and will make sure that you are given the best advice on how to cope with your situation.

How we can help

We may contact the relevant organisations directly on your behalf to help sort out the issue. Or we could help you complete benefit application forms or grant applications. Or we may tell you about other organisations that could provide specific help and support that meets your needs. If you need extra support doing tasks such as visiting a leisure centre for the first time or attending other appointments, we may be able to match you to volunteer who could give you that extra support.

How you can contact our advisors

Our Advisors are Rowshan Khanum (who speaks English, Bengali, Urdu and Hindi, and who works Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays), and Peter Guinan (who speaks English and French, and works Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays). You can make contact:

  • At our weekly drop-in session – at the Manor Gardens office. This session held every Wednesday morning from 10am (waiting room open from 9.30am), with no further clients admitted after 12 noon. No appointment necessary, but note that only the first five or ten clients can be seen each Wednesday depending on the number of Advisors available that day. Please also note that you may have to wait to be seen depending on the time needed to assist each client.
  • In writing – send letters to The Information Service, 6-9 Manor Gardens, London N7 6LA or fax us on 020 7281 4901, or email us at admin@acislington.org.uk (or email the Advisors direct: peter.guinan@acislington.org.uk or rowshan.khanum@acislington.org.uk).
  • By Appointment:
    1. Held in North Islington
      Telephone 020 7281 6018 to book an information and support appointment at our headquarters (6-9 Manor Gardens, N7 6LA) with one of our Advisors, Rowshan Khanum (languages spoken: English, Bengali, Urdu and Hindi) or Peter Guinan (languages spoken: English and French).
    2. Held in South Islington
      Telephone St Luke’s Centre on 020 7549 8181 if you would like an information and support appointment in the south of the borough with our Advisor Rowshan Khanum (languages spoken: English, Bengali, Urdu and Hindi). These appointments are held twice a month on alternate Tuesday mornings at St Luke’s Centre, 90 Central Street, EC1.
    3. Tax help appointments
      Telephone 0845 601 3321 to discuss tax issues with TaxHelp for Older People, and to book a tax-advice appointment with them (held at our Manor Gardens N7 headquarters) as appropriate. TaxHelp for Older People is an organization offering free advice on tax issues to people aged 60 and over who are on a low income. (Please note that TaxHelp does not deal with Council Tax queries; if you need advice on a Council Tax issue, then please speak to our Advisors, Rowshan and Peter at the number given under “By telephone” below.)
    4. With our BME Elders Project Manager
      Telephone 020 7281 6018 to make an appointment with our BME Elders Project Manager, Shahida Qureshi, who speaks Punjabi as well as Urdu and Hindi. See the Black and Minority Elders section on this website for more details.
  • By telephone - call Age Concern Islington on 020 7281 6018 between 10am and 4pm weekdays. There is an answer phone message service outside these hours. Please note that the Advisors may not be able to speak to you on the day that you call, as they may be with other clients or may not be working that day (noting that Rowshan works Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and that Peter works Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays), but if you leave your contact details (clearly and slowly, please), then Rowshan or Peter will get back to you as soon as they can.

Language or communication problems

If you don’t speak English then we also have an advisor who can deal with your needs, by appointment only, in Hindi, Urdu and Bengali. If you speak other languages, or have any kind of communication needs, please let us know and we will do our best to provide the appropriate support.

The service has the CLS Quality Mark for its work, and is part-funded by The Big Lottery and Islington Council. Please also see the Black and Minority Elders section on this website for details of the information appointments available in Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu from Shahida Qureshi, our BME Elders Project Manager.

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