Forget Sir Jimmy Saville, this is the man who's fixed it for thousands of Hounslow residents over the years.

John Rowntree stepped down on Friday April 17 after more than quarter of a century at Hounslow Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).

The 65-year-old, who lives in Chiswick, first joined the charity's Portsmouth & Southsea branch as a volunteer in 1974.

He moved to London two years later and became a full-time advice worker in Hackney, before being appointed manager of the Chiswick branch. For the last five years he has been service manager for the borough.

John described his years with CAB as a 'wonderful experience' but said he had witnessed many changes during that time.

"The problems we're dealing with now are much more complex than they used to be," he explained. "The benefits system is more complicated and there's less face-to-face communication with people at big companies and organisations because of the growth of call centres.

"We used to largely deal with family and personal problems, but these days our problems are largely to do with debt and state benefits. The service is valuable to a lot of people, particularly now so many fewer people are able to claim legal aid."

The CAB was set up in 1939 to offer free, confidential advice on everything from legal issues to money problems.

Staff at Hounslow's branches in Chiswick, Feltham and Hounslow, and their team of 65 volunteers, dealt with 20,000 enquiries last year alone.

More than 100 staff, past and present, gave John a fitting send-off at Kew Gardens earlier this months, where he was presented with an atlas and a £100 gift voucher.

He said he would miss the buzz of the office but was looking forward to going travelling.

Hounslow CAB is seeking new volunteers and trustee board members. Anyone who is interested is asked to call 020 8577 8624 or email: bureau@hounslowcab.cabnet.org.uk