A CHARITY is offering advice to families on how to stay debt free during the summer holidays.

The Weymouth and Portland branch of Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has issued the advice with the school summer holidays getting underway.

It has also announced that their fourth client has already gone debt free despite setting up just a year ago.

As well as helping people manage their payments to go debt free the charity puts on events for their clients.

They recently hosted a garden party at St John’s Church on Portland with help from donations from the local Sisters of Mercy.

Weymouth and Portland CAP centre manager, Sally Hunt, is positive about how things are going in the area.

She said: “We’re booked until September now which is great.

“We just had our fourth client go debt free and we’re probably going to have another go debt free soon.

“It is going really well at the moment.”

However, Sally says they see too many families going in to the red during the summer and wanted to give advice to help local families.

She said: “When the weather is good, the options are more obvious but when it’s wet, you have to be more inventive and it helps to have some good ideas to hand.”

Sally wants to highlight the range of activities offered by councils across Dorset to help keep the kids busy this summer and for parents to do their research in to the range of activities areas in the area.

She said: “I want to say be smart about the summer holidays. Ask yourself, are there any free festivals, free sporting events locally? Ask your kids if the school has handed out information on summer clubs that may have gone missing on the way home.

“Do your research and make a plan. Decide how much you can afford each week and create a ‘treats fund’, however small and talk about it with your children.

“Involve them in how you will spend it, they will appreciate what happens so much more and it’s a great lesson for them.”

Other ideas include treasure hunts, baking and craft afternoons and adventures in to the vast Dorset countryside.

If you have concerns about debt or want to learn more about living on a budget contact CAP on 0800 328 0006 or go to www.capuk.org.

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