Free debt advice charity launches “Budget Not Blues” campaign to help people in the West of Edinburgh out of debt and towards a better financial future
- Holy Trinity Church in Wester Hailes is offering free Money Coaching and Debt Help in 2025 to help people beat the winter blues and take control of their finances.
- 118 money coaches in Scotland have been trained by Christians Against Poverty to run free money coaching sessions in local communities throughout 2025.
Melanie Kilburn has worked as a Christians Against Poverty (CAP) Money and Debt coach for 6 years. The charity offers free debt advice, money coaching and a range of support to people struggling with their finances.
CAP’s Edinburgh West Debt Centre Manager, Melanie, says,
Winter often brings financial anxieties, and with energy bills and prices continuing to rise, the pressure all adds up. However, CAP’s Budget Not Blues campaign offers a clear path to taking back control of your finances. Here are my simple, effective steps to improving your finances in 2025.
- Find out your financial personality
- Try out CAP’s new Money Personality Quiz which provides useful tips on building a better relationship with money and helps people understand their spending habits.
- Create a personal budget
- Creating a personal budget is key to understanding your financial situation in order to make positive changes. Download CAP’s budgeting guide at capuk.org/budgeting to create your own personal budget.
- Cut back, cut costs and cut out
- To make your money go further, you can reduce spending by cutting back (reducing how much or how often you buy something); by cutting the cost (finding it cheaper elsewhere), or by cutting the expenditure out completely (identifying if it’s a need or want).
- Build up an emergency fund
- It’s important to save for future emergencies. Start small so that it is manageable within your budget, and set up your bank account to transfer the money into a savings account automatically each month so that you’re not tempted to spend it. An emergency fund can offer huge peace of mind if and when unexpected costs arise.
- Seek free help
- Attend a CAP service in your local area to help you further improve your financial situation. You can find more information on all CAP’s free services in your area at capuk.org/help. If you’re struggling with unmanageable debt, call our free helpline on 0800 328 0006. Alternatively, visit moneyhelper.org.uk for a wide range of support.
CAP provides practical solutions and emotional support to those in need and their free services, delivered through Holy Trinity Westerhailes, have transformed lives by helping individuals gain control over their finances.
Melanie continued,
We are determined to help people in our local community improve their finances and we do this by offering free Debt Help, Job Clubs and Money Coaching.
In January, we launched our Budget Not Blues campaign, we’re encouraging people in Westerhailes to not forget their New Year’s Resolution to prioritise their financial health and to remind them that it’s not too late to start NOW!
To learn more about CAP’s free services and resources, including a free benefits calculator, visit capuk.org.
