A CHURCH and a charity have joined forces to open a a new debt advice service.

Christians Against Poverty (CAP) and the Bethany Christian Centre at Houghton-le- Spring aim to help people, whatever their religion.

It will visit people in their own home and will deal with creditors on their behalf.

Centre manager Jemma McDougall said: “The Church has always been about offering hope and we're really pleased to be able to give a tried-and-tested route out of debt alongside other great free debt advice in the area like the Citizens Advice Bureau.

“There is a lot in the Bible about looking after the poorest. In our society, a lot of poverty is debt-related so our congregation has been working hard to open a CAP centre to help get people back on track.”

For more about the service visit www.capdebthelp.org