Local press release: May 2012

NEW DEBT COUNSELLING CENTRE OPENS

Cheshamnamed as one of 22 new centres to open across UK

LOCAL people struggling with overwhelming debt are set to get free help from an acclaimed charity opening a new centre in Chesham.

Growing debt counselling charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has partnered with Emmanuel Church, Cheshamto bring its in-depth service to the area.

Chesham is one of 22 places opening a centre during May - rare good news for the UK amid economic downturn and the latest centre is the first in Buckinghamshire.

Chesham centre manager Nigel Gordon said: “The Church has always been about offering hope and we're really pleased to be able to give a tried-and-tested route out of debt alongside other great free debt advice in the area like the Citizens Advice Bureau.

“There is a lot in the Bible about looking after the poorest. In our society, a lot of poverty is debt-related so our congregation has been working hard to open a CAP centre to help get people back on track.”

CAP offers people a uniquely in-depth, caring service to people with spiralling personal debt. Every client is visited in their own home, the charity does all the negotiating with creditors and local volunteers offer support to each person face-to-face until the day they are debt free.

Nigel added: “Debts can happen when a relationship breaks down, or someone loses their job, or through bereavement – so often when people are least able to cope with a financial headache. We’re just so pleased to be able to partner the care of our church with the financial expertise of CAP’s head office in Bradford.”

The charity has over 200 centres around the UK currently supporting £73m of secondary debts for its clients regardless of income, age, gender, background or faith. The free debt counselling has won a string of accolades including being described as “unsurpassed” by TV’s Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis.

  • To find out more or call 0800 328 0006

Ends

About Christians Against Poverty:

Christians Against Poverty is a home-grown debt counselling charity which is determined to reduce poverty in the UK caused by debt. It partners its financial expertise with the care of the local church to offer free debt help and a solution to people through 200 centres. The fast-growing charity intends to have a debt-counselling CAP centre in 500 towns and cities across the UK by 2015. For more about CAP see

For further information

Please consider the local centre as yourgreat new contact on issues of personal finance and local poverty – and possibly the source of case studies in the years to come.

Contact CAP’s National PR Manager Marianne Clough

or telephone 01274 761924