A Matter of Life and Debt

Single mum-of-two Christine visits Lewisham Plus Bromley Credit Union with her toddler to ask for a £500 loan. The fridge freezer she relies on for her soul-food business has packed up. For Jo and Rene from Sheffield, an ethical loan hasn't just changed their lives, it's enhanced the health and wellbeing of their community too. The Real Junk Food Project in Sheffield takes food destined for landfill and cooks it up into affordable meals, feeding over 80,000 people in the city. Thirty-five-year-old sports-mad Paul has set up shop selling specialist cricket gear thanks to a £10,000 ethical loan, and a look at how couple Raymond and Jenny from Derbyshire are almost out of debt after 25 years in arrears. Owing around £35,000, a religious charity helped them with a finance deal to pay back the money they owed.