Volunteer profile: Peter Rowell
We’re looking for new volunteers to join our teams serving the East Riding, including our offices in Bridlington, Beverley and Goole. Meet Peter, a man who’s had a fascinating career and just can’t keep away from volunteering with Citizens Advice…
From protecting Government VIPs to fixing buses and keeping things running smoothly and safely at British Steel, Peter Rowell has enjoyed a fascinating and varied career.
However, there is one organisation that Peter (also an Army veteran) can’t stay away from – Citizens Advice Hull & East Riding.
Driffield resident Peter joined the charity, the local People’s Champion, as a volunteer after retiring a few years ago. He loved it so much that he came out of retirement for a stint as SHEF (Safety, Health, Environment & Fire) and Facilities lead, with his biggest achievement being his role in the conversion of a former bank building into the new Citizens Advice office in Bridlington.
Now he’s retired (again), Peter is back volunteering on the front line and supporting the teams delivering life-changing advice to thousands of people across Hull and the East Riding.
He says: “I missed the organisation. I missed what it gave me in life.”
‘I need a purpose to get up in the morning’
And it’s been quite a life. The 72-year-old left school to work as an apprentice electrician at 16. He worked installing equipment in cinemas and getting skilled in refrigeration, among other disciplines. He joined the Army at 25, and after his service he was approached to join a protection team for the Government as a driver. Cars and music are his two great passions, so it follows that he went on to work as bus mechanic in London and installing sound systems in pubs.
When he moved to South Wales for family reasons, he worked for a firm on an environmental monitoring system before being offered a position by British Steel in Port Talbot as a process control engineer, maintaining systems. He transferred to Scunthorpe where he got his degree, in health and safety, aged 57.
Peter’s final role was with Hull firm Eltherington as group health and safety officer, overseeing three factories. He retired just before his 65th birthday, but he wasn’t ready to put his feet up: “I got bored. I have to do something. I need a purpose to get up in the morning.”
‘I slid into a reception role’
He explained: “I was going around, trying to find which café served the best breakfast in Bridlington. And I was in a café up in Old Town and I saw a copy of a newspaper, and there was an advert for volunteering with Citizens Advice Hull & East Riding. I thought ‘oh that sounds interesting’, so I applied.
“I went on a couple of training courses in Hull and sort of slid into a reception role in Bridlington.”
He spent about a year and a half on reception, during which time the COVID pandemic hit. When Citizens Advice was able to restart supporting clients in person, part of his role involved ensuring the humidity in the rooms met Government guidelines to stop the spread of the virus.
He trained and qualified as an assessor to help ensure clients were getting the correct support, skills which were vital as people had to be assessed one at a time from a queue with waiting areas closed due to social distancing rules.
Eventually Peter was asked to use his health and safety experience to support Citizens Advice in a voluntary role before a staff job opened up and he came out of retirement. He considers the charity’s fantastic new Bridlington office in Manor Street, which opened in May 2025, as his “legacy”.
‘It gives me such a sense of purpose’
Following his second retirement in summer 2025, Peter lasted two months before he was back in the fold. Now he supports fellow volunteers in Bridlington and working as a research and campaigns champion, spotting patterns and emerging issues presented by clients.
He said: “It gives me such a sense of purpose. It gives you the sense that you’re doing something and you’re trying to give back. I’ve been fortunate, and I felt if you could help somebody, why not?”
Peter insists there’s no need to be daunted by the training needed to support Citizens Advice clients as a volunteer, and that people from all walks of life have something to offer: “Volunteers go through extensive training and you can get certain qualifications. You do it at your own pace. Everybody learns differently.”
He certainly stays busy, serving as vice-chairman of the Driffield and District branch of the Royal British Legion and chairman of the Royal Engineers Association in Bridlington.
He’s also involved with the Armed Forces Breakfast club and Armed Forces charity SSAFA, and supports Citizens Advice’s work on local Armed Forces Covenant groups: “I let everyone know that I’m with Citizens Advice and that we have specialist advisers for serving personnel, veterans and their families.”
Find out more about volunteering with Citizens Advice Hull & East Riding here.
