IF YOU are worried about your finances, don’t ignore it.

That’s the message from Jill Ewbank, who has been running free money coaching sessions at Oxfordshire churches for two years and is offering two new courses to avoid debt in the new year.

Mrs Ewbank, a member of St Clement’s Church, in Marston Road, Oxford, was among those trained by charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP) to run money courses to offer people help with their finances.

A course at St Mary’s Church, Wheatley, starting Wednesday, January 25, is already fully booked, with another due to take place at The Mish, St Clement’s Street, Oxford, at the end of February.

Mrs Ewbank, who runs the courses in Oxford with fellow congregation member John Livingstone, said: “We are just coming up to Black Monday, which is the day when people receive their credit cards after Christmas.

“This is also a really good time to think about how to manage your money in terms of New Year’s resolutions.

“If people are worried about their money, do something, don’t ignore it because that’s the worst thing you can do.”

She stressed people coming along to the three-part workshops did not have to disclose their financial details, and added that she thought “just about anybody” would benefit from the advice on budgeting.

Mrs Ewbank, who also runs education workshops for sixth formers for charity Credit Action, said: “This isn’t something just for people with problems, I think that puts people off. It’s helping people make a better job of it.

“There’s no doubt that a lot of people do Christmas on credit and then get anxious about in the new year.”

Advice includes how to create and live on a budget, how to understand your money, and how to live from week to week using cash.

So far the ages of people on the courses, five of which have run in Oxford and one in Wheatley, have ranged from about 20 to pensioners.

If people complete the course but are still unable to balance their budgets and pay off debts, they can be referred to CAP for debt counselling and further assistance.

St Clement’s Church rector Bruce Gillingham said: “We ran the course before Christmas helping people to manage it, so they would not be swept away by Christmas debt, now we are doing one to help people in the recovery if they find themselves a bit overstretched.”

Other churches which run the sessions include West Witney Community Church, Headington Baptist Church and Emmanuel Church in Bicester, although no courses are currently planned.

  • To find out more, email jeCAPMoney@gmail.com or call 01865 246674.