Credit Action: Archbishop of Canterbury helps money education charity with funding appeal

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Thursday, 31, Jul 2008 12:00

Archbishop of Canterbury helps money education charity with funding appeal.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has recorded a BBC Radio 4 appeal on behalf of Credit Action, the leading money education charity.

Helping people to make better use of their money is a key issue for the Archbishop, who has already voiced concerns about the impact of the economic downturn on the least well-off. In the House of Lords in April, he stressed the need for financial education to help more people understand the risks of borrowing.

In his appeal on behalf of Credit Action, Dr Williams says debt “has far-reaching consequences, which include stress, ill-health, family breakdown and even suicide. Improving financial literacy and empowering people who are dealing with debt is therefore vitally important. Credit Action does just this by giving people the skills and confidence to take control of their money.”

Credit Action offers a range of publications on money management and maintains a comprehensive website offering budget sheets, debt advice and factual information about levels of debt and overindebtedness. It receives funding from individuals, grant making trusts and corporate partners. This year alone the charity has been responsible for:

- providing half-a-million university hopefuls with a free Moneymanual on how to cope financially at university;

- offering a free guide for single parents in partnership with One Parent Families|Gingerbread;

- addressing issues of financial exclusion by preparing courses on financial literacy and money management for such socially disadvantaged groups as prisoners and sellers of the Big Issue;

- creating the ‘Spendometer’ mobile phone tool available free of charge on its website to enable people track spending.

With more funding, the charity can help even more people than the half-million it reached in 2007.

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The Credit Action appeal will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 7.55am and 21.26pm on Sunday August 3 and repeated at 15.27pm on Thursday 7th August.

A photo of the Archbishop doing the recording in June 2008 accompanies this release.

For more information and a full copy of the script contact:

Chris Tapp (Director)

2 Ridgmount Street,

London,

WC1E 7AA.

0207 436 9937

c.tapp@creditaction.org.uk

Notes for editors:

Credit Action is a national money education charity (registered Charity No.1106941) established in 1994. It aims to teach people to manage money better and prevent over-indebtedness and uses a wide range of resources to this end. Credit Action also campaigns to encourage greater understanding of the need for more financial education and literacy. For those with debt problems, Credit Action offers a helpline through Consumer Credit Counselling Service, the UK’s leading debt charity.