Community Money Advice Launceston marks two years at new base

Two years ago this month, a small Launceston charity swapped a cramped, more exposed office for a converted barn tucked away outside town. For an organisation that survives on donations and volunteer time, it was something of a leap of faith. This month, Community Money Advice Launceston (CMAL) is marking the anniversary, and using it to look back on fourteen years of helping people work their way out of serious debt.

A quieter address for a difficult conversation

CMAL has supported families and residents in financial crisis across Launceston and its surrounding parishes since it was founded in 2012. Its current base, Suite 2 at Sheers Barton Barns in Lawhitton, has been open for two years, and the charity says the move has allowed it to support more clients at any one time.

The building offers several confidential spaces, giving people somewhere to talk through their debts without feeling judged. That extra room has also helped the charity grow, with space for more volunteers and, for the first time, a funded part-time administrator working from the office, which has in turn allowed CMAL to extend its opening hours for clients.

Sarah Vinson, CEO and Centre Manager, said the new site has changed the experience for everyone who uses it. “Our new location is so quiet, welcoming and professional. The adjacent free parking is being greatly appreciated by both our clients and our volunteers alike,” she said.

The premises are also easier to reach than the old ones, with free parking on site and full wheelchair access, something the charity says makes a real difference for clients getting to their appointments.

The last twelve months in numbers

In the past year, CMAL has helped three clients secure an Individual Voluntary Arrangement and eight into a debt management plan, giving them an affordable way of dealing with what they owe. A further six clients were awarded a Debt Relief Order, a form of personal bankruptcy that offers a fresh start but can only be obtained through an accredited debt advice provider such as CMAL.

Fourteen years of debt advice in Launceston

Over the fourteen years since it was founded, CMAL has supported more than 860 clients experiencing poverty and serious debt, many of them living with long-term physical or mental health conditions made worse by stress and anxiety. Between them, those clients have carried a combined total of more than four million pounds of debt.

The charity points to research from the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute showing that 46 per cent of people in debt also have a mental health problem. CMAL’s free services, it says, are designed to give clients the tools they need to stay in control of their finances, leading to better long-term financial decisions and, in turn, better mental health.

“A bold move for a small charity”

Nigel Parker, of CMAL, said the move to Sheers Barton was not without risk. “Moving to Sheers Barton was a bold move for a small charity. What has proved so positive is the way CMAL clients have become more positive and confident because of the new and more confidential environment,” he said.

📷View over rooftops showing Parish Church and Castle, Launceston, Cornwall, UK. Photo September 2020.