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14 August 2008

Older residents get help in managing over £350,000 of debt

Help the Aged and Barclays celebrate first year of Your Money Matters project

Help the Aged and Barclays are this week celebrating the first successful year of the Your Money Matters project in Leeds, during which time the project has worked with around 200 older people in the area, and is helping older residents to manage £360,845 of debt to date.

The project, which is run by Help the Aged and supported by Barclays, is based at Leeds Older People’s Forum and offers free and impartial money management and debt advice to local older people through group information sessions and one-to-one appointments. Leeds Your Money Matters Advice Worker, Angela Cawthra, has also been assisted by Barclays volunteers who help to run some of the group sessions.

Your Money Matters Adviser, Angela Cawthra, said: "When we launched Your Money Matters at Leeds Older People’s Forum a year ago we said we wanted to improve the skills, confidence and financial situation of local older people, and after a busy but exciting first year we're well on our way to doing this.

Working with my clients over the past 12 months has been extremely rewarding, and we’re committed to helping many more people who could benefit from the work the project carries out.”

Janette Blythe, Community Relations Manager (North East) at Barclays, said: “It is very encouraging that, only 12 months after its launch, the Your Money Matters project at Leeds Older People’s Forum is making such a positive and tangible difference to the lives of older people living in Leeds.

The project has made a great start and we’re determined to fully utilise the expertise and the skills of our employees, in partnership with the knowledge and experience of Help the Aged, to continue this success into its second year.”

General money management information is offered at group-awareness sessions, open to all older people, at various locations in and around Leeds. These sessions can then be followed by confidential one-to-one meetings with a trained debt adviser, either as home visits or through appointments at drop-in centres, providing a comprehensive money management and debt advice service. This does not include financial or investment advice.

If you think you or an older person you know could benefit from Your Money Matters, please contact Angela Cawthra on 0113 244 0575 for more information about sessions and appointments.

Notes to Editors

1. Your Money Matters

The Your Money Matters programme aims to support over 30,000 older people and their carers to better manage their finances, through awareness raising sessions, one-to-one basic money management sessions and debt advice. This programme consists of 17 projects spread around the country, with the majority of projects in England, in addition to a project in Scotland and one in Wales. For more information on Your Money Matters, please call Help the Aged on 020 7239 7564 or visit http://www.helptheaged.org.uk

2. Help the Aged

Help the Aged is the charity fighting to free disadvantaged older people in the UK and overseas from poverty, isolation and neglect. It campaigns to raise public awareness of the issues affecting older people and to bring about policy change. The Charity delivers a range of services: information and advice, home support and community living, including international development work. Help the Aged also funds vital research into the health issues and experiences of older people to improve the quality of later life.

All of these activities are only possible thanks to the generosity of our donors and Help the Aged is trying to increase the amount of funds raised to expand its charitable work and help the growing number of older people in need.

Help the Aged urgently needs donations and support to help it in the increasingly challenging fight to free disadvantaged older people from poverty, isolation and neglect. Visit www.helptheaged.org.uk or call 0207 239 1982.

3. Barclays

Barclays PLC is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail and commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays is one of the largest financial services companies in the world by market capitalisation. Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs over 127,000 people, moving, lending, investing and protecting money for over 27 million customers and clients worldwide.

4. Leeds Older People's Forum

Leeds Older People’s Forum has a membership of over 120 voluntary sector organisations working with older people across Leeds, including the Neighbourhood Network Schemes. The Forum supports its members and ensures the voluntary sector is involved in planning, developing and managing services for older people in Leeds.