Is debt affecting your life?
Well there is an organisation that you can turn to for debt counselling and advice in the St Neots area.
L.A.D - Life after Debt – Life amid Debt - An introduction.
L.A.D is the brainchild of Ann Fryer, a mother of three from Eaton Socon St Neots. The idea began to gel when, realising how alone she was in the face of overwhelming fear when extortionate interest rates suddenly jumped to 10.5% after a 2yr fixed rate finished in October 2008, after facing repossession of her house in 2005, so she enlisted the help of the media.
After appearing on the front cover of a local paper Ann was contacted by another local woman who was in a similar position. It was then that the idea for the new Charity began to bear fruition. Finding that many of her friends and acquaintances, from all walks of life had experienced differing types of financial difficulty Ann encouraged them to ‘volunteer’ with the setting up of L.A.D which Ann successfully did. The group was formed in June 2009.
There are now twelve people involved, either as Trustees or part of the Management Committee, and they offer such skills as, training, counselling and debt management, Charitable status is currently being sought and will be of enormous help in gaining the necessary funding.
The main aims of L.A.D. are to offer support, advice and training to enable individuals to cope with the traumatic and emotional side of debt and the recovery from debt process, and of course just being there to TALK to which is all quite often someone wants to do share the burden and having someone to listen to them with no judgement or stigma attached.
Lad is now being recognised we have been very encouraged by the support offered by:
Eynesbury Methodist Church, BBC Look East live broadcast, BBC Radio Cambridge live broadcast, The Hunts Post, Crier News, Luminus and the local Member of Parliament, Jonathan Djanogly, Papworth News & Views, PE19 Magazine, Hunts Forum plus local Councillors. The Villager Magazine published by Nigel and Priorities St Neots,
Most recently the group appeared on About Anglia regional TV.
We also had a visit from Mark Howell a District Councillor from Papworth who is interested in the group and gave us some useful contacts.
Plus Friends of Muir who gave us some funding for which we are very grateful & The Co-operative Group.
This debt counselling and advice service is FREE and there is regular meetings for people struggling with mounting debt to pop in an see them:
