The charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is looking for 100 people from local churches to train as money coaches to teach people skills to stay in control of their money.
More than 16,000 money advice courses have already taken place and the charity says it needs more people to come forward to run the sessions.
CAP's Money Manager, Peter Snell tells Premier more about the courses:
"CAP Money is a money management course that is all about giving people the skills and the tools and the confidence to get fully in control of their finances…It's video based, super simple and it gives you access to an amazing set of online tools. I use those tools myself and I love it. It is just so good at helping anyone, whether they're terrible, okay, or actually quite good, just improve their money management skills."
The course is well established - over 16,000 courses have already taken place and around 73,000 people have attended a course to improve their money skills.
Peter Snell says the course is even more needed because of the pandemic:
"It's so tricky. When bills are going up, even people that had previously balanced budgets are having to look again and see how they can make everything fit together. That's especially true for those on lower incomes. Sadly, as well, recent research from Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that 33 per cent are already in arrears as a result of Covid and now obviously, they've got all these extra bills hitting them. That's a real challenge.
"But it's amazing how the little savings add up month by month. So although it can be a little bit daunting, when people are looking at their finances, they might be thinking, 'Oh, no, what I'm going to do?' actually, if you put yourself in a position to make good decisions now, it's amazing how that will help you avoid problems and debt and stay in control over this winter.
"We're doing a bit of a push and a bit of a challenge to see if we can get 100 new coaches trained to run this course in their local context. Because here at CAP, we do everything in partnership with a local church. We don't run these courses; we train people in local churches so they can run them for the benefit of their community. The coaches are really just there to guide people and facilitate discussion. Anyone with a heart for people and who has a sound understanding of their own finances and can facilitate some group discussion can run this course. This is a crucial time for churches to get going with this.
"The CAP Money Course is ideal for people who have had a change in circumstance or are struggling to manage their money and just need a bit of help to take control of their finances. We don't want people to feel ashamed or to suffer in silence because they are struggling with their cash.
"A local church running CAP Money, especially considering all the financial challenges people are facing right now, will help to give people the confidence to start the conversation, manage their money well, reduce financial pressure and stress, and change many lives for the better."
"This is why we are passionate about equipping local churches so they can offer as much support as possible to people at this incredibly difficult time. Churches across the UK have already stepped up during the pandemic to offer life changing help to those who are struggling,and we want to help them continue making a positive difference in their local area."
The telephone number for more information about CAP Money is: 01274 760567
To find out if a CAP Money Course is currently running in your local area visit: https://www.capmoney.org
For more information, to register your interest in CAP Money or sign up to our next training session, visit: capuk.org/talkmoneyweek