2014-12

Christmas can be a very
expensive time of year and
there is so much pressure
on all of us to over-indulge
and overspend.
For many people the economic
crisis of the past six years has
meant frozen pay-packets,
reduced hours,
business failures
and long-term
unemployment. Trying
to make the same or
less money stretch
further creates stress
and strain in the
family home. Trying
to protect our children
from this all this we
may be tempted
to turn to overdraft
facilities, credit cards, payday loan
companies or doorstep lenders
to fund the season. I am told
that January is the month when
most people miss mortgage or
credit card payments as people
try to make the Christmas paypacket
stretch those extra weeks.
Personally, I know what it is like to
struggle with unmanageable debt.
Seven years ago I was facing
near bankruptcy after a business
venture failed. Today I am debtfree
and passionate about working
in my local community to help
others struggling as I once was.
My name is Nigel Halliwell
and I am the manager of a new
Christians Against Poverty (CAP)
Debt Centre for South Sheffield
which offers a FREE debt
counselling service for anyone who
needs it. Established in October
2014 our centre in Arbourthorne is
now the third CAP Debt Centre in
Sheffield and one of 270 centres
across the UK. Our centre serves
people across south Sheffield
including the whole S8 postal
district.
Consumer debt is a huge
problem in the UK. People get
into debt for lots of different
reasons, including loss of earnings,
relationship breakdown, death or
illness in the family. Many people
you would least expect
are only one payday
away from financial
difficulty. At CAP we
make no judgment about
how people got into
debt, we just want to
help them to get things
back under control.
While we ourselves
are Christians, our
unique face-to-face
service is available
to anyone, regardless of race,
nationality, religion, age, gender,
marital status, sexual orientation or
disability. Indeed, more than 90%
of our clients are not Christians.
We are authorised and regulated
by the Financial Conduct Authority.
We do not receive any government
funding and more than half our
annual budget is met by regular
donations from around 25,000
supporters we call Life Changers
and corporate fundraising events.
CAP is committed to working with
the financial industry to ensure
a fair settlement for client and
creditor alike.
If you yourself are struggling
with unmanageable debt, could
use some help getting your
finances back on track or if you
know someone for whom debt is a
problem, contact our new enquiries
team in Bradford on 0800 328
0006 to set up an appointment. For
more information about CAP visit
www.capdebthelp.org.
Nigel Halliwell
An Expensive Time of the Year
St Chad’s Church, Linden Avenue, Woodseats
Church Office: 9 Linden Avenue, Sheffield S8 0GA
Tel: (0114) 274 5086
Page 25
email: office@stchads.org
website: www.stchads.org