A WEYMOUTH man said his life has been turned around thanks to charity Christians Against Poverty.

Alan Quinton, 67, of Park Street, said it was only from reading an article in the Dorset Echo on March 19 this year that he was encouraged to contact Weymouth and Portland CAP and ask for advice after getting into thousands of pounds of debt.

The pensioner said he believed his only option was to file for bankruptcy, but after calling CAP two weeks after reading the article, staff from Weymouth and Portland centre visited him and were ‘very professional’, sending off his details to their head office to calculate exactly how much he owed and formulate a budget plan.

Mr Quinton said he found out he owed less than he thought and qualified for a Debt Relief Order, which meant he could organise manageable debt repayments through the charity.

Speaking about the difference CAP has made, he said: “I had a stroke last year and it left me in a situation where I felt I couldn’t deal with the debt on my own. If I hadn’t seen the Echo article I don’t know where I would have been now.

Mr Quinton said he also no longer relies on the food bank, which he qualified for before his debts problems were managed. He added: “Give them a ring to break the ice and make an appointment. Don’t be put off if you’re worried that ‘Christian’ is in their name; they help everybody and treat you like a human being, they try very hard to get you out of the mire.”

Weymouth and Portland CAP centre manager Sally Hunt said: “I think it’s fantastic that Alan is now debt free and it shows CAP really works. If you are struggling with debt, however much it is or whoever it is with, we would like to help you. Do not carry this burden alone. Please contact us as soon as possible to make an appointment and we will work with you to support you to becoming debt free.”

Andrew Penney, community links coordinator at Weymouth and Portland CAP, said the group helps everyone from those with priority debts like council tax and mortgages to credit card debt and loans.

He said: “CAP are really committed to what they do, they won’t take money from the government and need about £8m a year from donations to run; this year they have been managing something like £55m of debt. We also run CAP Money courses in Weymouth and I look at them as important preventative measures.”

For more, visit capdebthelp.org or call 0800 328 0006 free.

CAP services are running during the Christmas season on December 3 at St John’s Church Hall on Portland from 10am-12pm, on December 9 at The Lantern on Ranleagh Road from 10-11am and on December 16 at the St Francis Café in Littlemoor from 10am-12pm.