Bradford-based Christians Against Poverty warn borrowing could cause long-term woe

With a month to go before the big day, the organisation which helps people with spiralling debts wants people to do their Christmas shopping with a clear strategy.

Bradford CAP centre manager Kev Worsnop said: “These are difficult times for a lot of us and the temptation is to have a great Christmas and use that as an excuse to spend what we haven’t got. If you’ve already caught yourself saying this, we want your alarm bells to be ringing loud and clear.”

Mr Worsnop said people needed to be reminded that the New Year would be full of uncertainty with the threat of job losses, the rise in VAT, benefits changing and energy bills increasing.

“We don’t know what interest rates will do. If we were ever going to get our spending under control at Christmas – it should be this year.”

According to the charity’s national client statistics, half of those with out-of-control debt have at some time taken out a loan to cover the cost of the festive season.

Mr Worsnop said many of those then went on to lose their homes, be unable to feed and clothe their children, suffer mental health problems and even consider suicide.

He said: “We’re not party poopers. We just want people to enjoy Christmas and not be anxious about whether they will be able to pay it all back.”

The local centre, based at the Light Church, in the Jubilee Centre behind Bradford Cathedral, gives free face-to-face debt counselling to all quarters of the community, not just Christians.

Workers there say the service is unique because the charity visits people in their home, sets a budget, contacts creditors and then offers holistic support until the client is debt free – often within five years.

Bradford is one of 150 such church-based centres tackling UK poverty head on, co-ordinated and supported by 150 employees at the Bradford head office.

If you need help you can call Christians Against Poverty on 0800 328 0006 or go to capuk.org.