Credit Crunch

Originally founded in Bradford, Christians Against Poverty is a national charity, which has centres across the UK, including Selby and York.

The Selby centre opened in 2003 and they usually see over 30 clients per year. So far this year the centre has seen over 30 clients already. Bernadette Maxfield, a debt management councillor for CAP in Selby, believes the number of people visiting the centre has increased due to the credit crunch.

"People are living up to 100% of their wages. The credit crunch is squeezing people so that they haven’t got anything left over at the end of the month. If they’ve got commitments before price increases, this pushes them over the edge," explains Bernadette.

Bernadette Maxfield

Each CAP centre is linked to a local church, although you don’t have to be Christian to use the service. Bernadette welcomes anyone who is having problems to give the centre a call, the only requirement is that you need to be from the Selby district (or for the York office, you need to be from the York area).

“We want people to take a check of their finances. Rather than waiting for it to tip over the edge and they can’t meet payments. We always need to be looking at our finances and checking. We encourage the whole family to get involved and look at their finances.

"You often find people get in to the trap of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Eventually that will collapse, you can only do that for so long. We want to break that and show people how to manage their money more effectively without going in to measures like that," says Bernadette.

From its early beginnings in Bradford, the charity has grown internationally, with its work now being pioneered in Australia and New Zealand. They hope to open a centre in every UK town.

Although it is free receive advice from CAP, they are non-government funded, so the charity relies on donations, fundraising, the goodwill of churches and Christians.

My Story: Written by Bernadette Maxfield

"My journey is one of changed character. Before I began working for CAP I was a member of Kings Church (in Selby), which a friend introduced me to 11 years ago.

“I’ve been so overwhelmed by the journey that I’ve had through CAP, for myself and for my own family and to see so many peoples' lives impacted by this work. I’m humbled by this experience.

"If a client wants to give but we understand that people are in fear and they can’t at that time. We’ll work with them anyway.

"If they’re facing a tough time, I would advise them rather than ignoring the situation

"We offer home visits rather than coming in to a cold office environment. We want to make those clients feel comfortable."