Suffolk Coastal Debt Centre People

Debt Coach

I grew up in Cambridge and moved to Southwold, Suffolk when I was 16. After university I moved to London and trained to be an English teacher. I lived in Tooting and Streatham for nearly 20 years, moving back to Southwold, with my husband and 2 children 8 years ago. I continued to teach in Suffolk until 2021 when I joined the Suffolk Coastal Debt Centre. CAP is an amazing charity with an inspiring mission statement ‘Transforming lives, inspiring churches and an end to UK poverty.’ It’s exciting to be a small part of such a mission.

Debt Coach

Born in the East End of London in 1951, I was fortunate to be brought up in a loving caring family. I was the first in our family to go to university gaining a degree in Mathematics. I married Carol and we lived in Manchester for nearly 40 years before moving to Suffolk in 2015. As a member of SKC Church in Saxmundham, I believe that Jesus calls us all to help the needy in our society as best we can. Christians Against Poverty provides free professional financial advice to anyone that requires it and I am extremely pleased to be a small part of this of this great charity

Debt Centre Administrator

‘I’m Doug, my wife, Christine, and I moved to Suffolk from Horsham, West Sussex in December 2016 and very quickly became involved in the life of SKC Church in Saxmundham.

In Horsham, I had managed a Christian Centre for 20 years and was actively involved in the setting up and running of an independent Debt Advice Centre for the local churches.

I was pleased to be able to bring this experience to Saxmundham by managing the Church High Street shop and, more recently, by providing some admin support to SCDC and being part of the Leadership Team.’

CAP Money Courses Co-Ordinator

'Hi, my name is Julia and I have worked as both a Maths and an ICT teacher over many years, but now (normally) enjoy time with grandchildren, selling fair trade, doing some admin for my church in Framlingham and many other things in retirement.

A number of years ago, when I was working only part-time and our three children were young, my husband's business went to the wall and we found ourselves in financial crisis, losing our house to the bank, so I know what it is like to struggle financially. Thankfully for us this did not last long, but I wish I'd had a CAP Money course back then to help us with a very tight budget.

I've been helping to run CAP Money courses for over 8 years and seen people with a wide range of income and assets benefit from the organisation it provides and also the online budgeting tools. I love seeing people relax as they find they can balance their budgets with a few tweaks, or discover they can get help from CAP's debt services, if their debt interest payments are taking them constantly into the red.

My work with CAP is part of my response to Christ's calling to 'bring good news to the poor ... set the captives free ...' which he leaves his followers to do in his place.'

Chair

I’m Nic Stuchfield, Assistant Priest in Saxmundham and Kelsale and one of the people behind the original set-up of the Debt Centre in 2017-18. Debt distress is an increasingly common problem in our society. There are so many families who are just about keeping their heads above water financially in Britain today, bombarded by influences to spend money that they don’t have.

What can be a sustainable debt burden in good times can rapidly turn into major distress when problems arise. Times of crisis like unemployment, serious illness or family breakdown are painful enough to experience but they are also often the catalyst that pitches households into debt slavery: the trap in which rising interest costs and arrears become something that no realistic amount of hard work can escape from.

The Christian Gospel is, at its heart, a Gospel of love: not only did God love the world so much that He came to save us but he commands that we love each other, especially those in need or distress. Christians Against Poverty nationally and the Debt Centre here are both powerful expressions of that divine love for one’s neighbour and I am honoured to be involved with this work.

CAP Life Skills Manager

I grew up in North East London and became a secondary school teacher in Buckinghamshire; teaching RS alongside some PSHE and history lessons. As I developed my teaching I spent more time liaising with the families and carers of my pupils and witnessed how home life, including poverty negatively impacted the whole family. Since having children, I have always taken an active role in my local church.

I have lived in Woodbridge for the past five years and since COVID-19 have felt the need to live out my Christian faith in a more practical way. Working with CAP enables me to contribute to some of the most vulnerable in our local communities.

The opportunity to support people with the Life Skills course is a great way for people to meet others and to enjoy some food and drink, but also gain confidence and decision-making skills to survive life on a low income.