A Christmas beyond breaking point

Name: Christians Against Poverty UK
Price range: $

Dad sat with his two young children, all three are staring at the camera with sadness next to a Christmas tree

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Your regular donation could pay for:

£10

£15

£30

could prevent a family of four from going hungry by providing an emergency food shop*

could see a family supported from their first call to CAP, to being debt free*

could provide emergency fuel top-ups for twelve families who are struggling to keep warm*

Thank you for thinking of making a donation to support our work!
The minimum donation we accept is £1. This is to ensure we cover admin and processing costs.

Thank you for thinking of making a donation to support our work!
For any donation amount above £25,000, please contact [email protected] to make the donation directly.

Your donation could pay for:

£20

£30

£50

could prevent a child from going hungry by providing an emergency food shop

could heat a family’s home during the cold winter by providing an emergency fuel top-up

could provide new school uniform for two children whose parents are struggling with costs

Thank you for thinking of making a donation to support our work!
The minimum donation we accept is £1. This is to ensure we cover admin and processing costs.

Thank you for thinking of making a donation to support our work!
For any donation amount above £25,000, please contact [email protected] to make the donation directly.

Supported payment methods

Beyond breaking point: Paul and Sam’s story

Read video transcript

Paul: Last Christmas is the one where I never want to experience ever again. We owned a small construction company, and we were doing really well. But materials were increasing and increasing, and I couldn’t keep up with the demand of the material cost.

Sam: Paul was having to work more and more for what was generating less and less.

Vale: Mum and dad weren’t as happy last Christmas.

Eden: We couldn’t really have the heating on as much. If the door wasn’t locked the bailiffs could come in.

Paul: The debt just got worse and worse and worse.

Sam: It is all consuming and the, the weight of it.

Paul: My body broke down – I had a stroke.

[Phone rings]

Phone operator (Amy): Hi there, you’re speaking to Amy at Christians Against Poverty. Are you looking for debt help today?

Sam: I am, yes.

Amy: Ok.

Sam: We’re getting bombarded at the minute.

Amy: Yeah.

Sam: We really are. And obviously it’s Christmas in a couple of weeks. And Paul is just getting more and more poorly. We’re just desperate to get this sorted out now.

[Text on screen: 3 in 10 children in the UK live in poverty. Source: Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2024)]

Sam: Getting the emergency food voucher and the top-up vouchers from CAP relieved so much of the stress.

Paul: We just looked at each other and cried and said, ‘Yeah, this is the point where we know, there’s a future here.’

Sam: We were able to deal with our finances and be able to have food and heating at home.

Paul: CAP have, from the start to the finish, have made us feel like we’re humans and that we can get through it. Now we’re actually debt free, family life has grown strength to strength.

Sam: We just feel like a family and a couple again.

Vale: I’m really looking forward to this Christmas.

Eden: Thank you.

Vale: Thank you!

[Eden giggles]

[Text on screen: Will you help provide emergency aid to a family at breaking point today?]

Millions of families across the UK are worried about making ends meet this Christmas. Many fear they won’t be able to give their children gifts, put enough food on the table, or manage rising energy bills.

This was Paul and Sam’s reality last Christmas.

Paul ran a joinery business with his wife, Sam. With the cost of living making materials double in price, things became critical. Stress caused Paul to have a stroke at aged 44, and their life collapsed around them under the weight of debt.

Did you know?

3 in 10

children in the UK live in poverty – around a third of every classroom (Joseph Rowntree Foundation)

60%

of CAP clients had to borrow money to pay household bills

23%

of CAP clients gave mental ill-health as the primary reason for their debt crisis

Parent sat with his two children, the boy is sat on his lap. All three are looking at the camera with sadness

We couldn’t think about anything other than surviving one day to the next.

Paul

They became prisoners in their own home

Paul had no option but to close the business for good due to his health issues. Enforcement agents then came knocking at their door.

“They’d bang on the door so loudly that it sounded like the police, sometimes at 7:30 in the morning. We’d keep the curtains closed and tell the kids to hide upstairs, but the bailiffs would sit outside the house for hours, and we couldn’t leave.” - Sam

Man looking at the camera with sadness. There is a dark background around him

Looking back, I can’t believe my family made it through Christmas time last year.

Paul

Paul and Sam’s family had an unbearable Christmas

On 6 December 2023, Paul and Sam called CAP and booked the first available appointment in January. In their darkest moments, Paul and Sam’s family needed someone to help them to meet their basic needs, to give them the breathing space to address the crushing issues they were facing.

A family of two parents and two children, sat on a sofa next to a Christmas tree, looking at the camera with sadness

I can’t describe the relief we felt knowing that help was coming, but we still had an anxious wait ahead of us and, with it, an unbearable Christmas.

Paul

Paul and Sam couldn’t afford Christmas gifts for the kids, so they put together a few things they’d need anyway, like toiletries and socks, plus sentimental items like family photos.

The children were so grateful, but having to do that really hurt us – it felt like we’d failed to protect them from the impact of our debt situation.

Paul

Eden has written to let you know how Christmas felt last year

Paul and Sam’s future is brighter because of your generous giving

Paul and Sam turned to their church, community, and CAP. Their church kept their faith alive, offering food parcels, prayers and encouragement. The community provided childcare and support. CAP stepped in with practical debt help.

A couple sat on the sofa hugging, both are wearing Christmas jumpers and sat next to a Christmas tree

We wouldn’t have managed without the support we’ve had, I don’t think we would still be married.

Sam

This year, Christmas will look very different.

Paul and Sam are now debt free through DRO and Bankruptcy options, and they can now make memories that they can cherish forever.

Two siblings decorating a Christmas tree in their living room, both are wearing Christmas jumpers

As you read this, there are countless others facing a Christmas of pressure and worry.

Paul

Please will you provide a lifeline for a family at breaking point this Christmas?

In the true spirit of Christmas, you can help bring joy and hope to a family like Paul and Sam’s, making this Christmas a far brighter one than last year.

Join the 2024 Christmas Appeal by donating to help make Christmas more joyful for struggling families.

Will you be there for a family like Paul and Sam’s?

When debt pushed our family to breaking point, your support gave us a vital moment to breathe.

Paul

Family of two adults and two children, sat in front of the Christmas tree wearing Christmas jumpers, holding a '2024' sign.

Find out how you can give as a church

Across the UK, families are at breaking point with their finances. This Christmas, will your church help lift the burden by providing emergency aid to a family like Paul and Sam’s?

Give as a church

Provide a lifeline for a family at breaking point this Christmas