Circling loan sharks sink their teeth into people desperate to pay urgent bills without appreciating the extortionate interest rates.

Stress, depression, family break-up often follow. Suicide is not unknown.

Many organisations are in the business of debt counselling, ranging from Citizens Advice to Christians Against Poverty (CAP).

CAP may be less familiar but it has been operating 150 centres across the UK since businessman John Kirkby founded it in 1966 after facing spiralling debt and finding no one to turn to.

It has run a centre in Folkestone for years and this has been joined by its newest outlet in Maidstone. It is linked to Bearsted Community Church and may have the word Christians above the door but manager Peter Holland says it is open to all.

CAP is funded by various benefactors, from businesses and banks to individuals linked to churches. Its financial, legal and debt experts in the Bradford HQ devise repayment plans and local centres run CAP Money Courses.

Mr Holland said: "We are not here to judge. Our focus is getting them (people) into a system that will get them out of debt within a time frame.

While some centres have dedicated offices, Mr Holland visits clients in their home, gleans information on a confidential basis and forwards it to the experts to formulate a repayment plan.

Tony Rogers, former chairman of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in Kent, runs courses at Grace Community Church, Grove Road, Maidstone (the next starts on May 9).

They cover money goals, different types of money, how to set up a money flow system - the principle of "Live on cash" - maintenance of the system and debt reduction.

He says: "We do not offer any financial advice on the course. It is about learning a simple system for managing your money for the rest of your life."

More details at www.capuk.org, www.capmoney.org or telephone free on 0800 328 0006.