A LOCAL man has praised Christians Against Poverty and Fullarton Church for helping him with his debt problem.

Ron Graham firmly believed there was no way out of his predicament. He was in a lot of debt and almost gave up hope. Then in October he finally found an answer to his financial problems, writes Stewart McConnell.

Ron heard about Christians Against Poverty’s (CAP) free, debt counselling service which was running at Fullarton Church and called CAP’s free helpline.

He’s now close to becoming debt free and getting his life fully back on track.

He said: “I called the free phone number and set up a meeting to discuss my problems. I owed a substantial amount of money.

“The people were really helpful and I discovered there was a way to sort everything out by organising one monthly payment to cover everything I owed.

“I used to get loads of letters saying I owed so much and I never liked opening them. Now I send them on to CAP and they take care of the letters. Hopefully I will be debt free within four to six months.”

Ron wadded: “It was such a relief. Before I got help I couldn’t see a way forward and felt like I was at the bottom of a pit.”

“I fully recommend CAP to other people who are struggling with debt.”

The Irvine CAP Debt Centre have had a steady stream of people interested in their services since being established in October.

Alan McLaren, CAP Debt Centre Manager based at Fullarton ConneXions said: “We know that there are people in our community who will suffer this Christmas due to the hidden issue of personal debt problems. Often people facing debt issues will not seek help because they find things too overwhelming or feel ashamed and embarrassed.”

“We would urge anyone under pressure to phone us for free on 0800 328 0006. There is hope.”

Christians Against Poverty is also urging people to avoid a big spend in what will be a very different Christmas.

Alan added: “The TV and shop windows are full of adverts trying to convince people that Christmas is about buying and impressing. However, encouraged by campaigns by Money Saving expert Martin Lewis and others, many people are turning away from the excesses of Christmas and choosing a simpler way to celebrate.”

“It’s tempting to take out credit and pay it off through the coming year, but after a year like 2020, no one knows what 2021 will bring.”

“So our advice is simple - have the Christmas you can afford. It takes all the stress out of it and there’s loads you can do that’s affordable.”

If you are struggling with debt and need help, get in contact with CAP today on 0800 328 0006 or visit capuk.org