Life Beyond Debt

Shinewater Shaftesbury Centre is a drop in help and advice centre where local people can come and get the help and advice they need. This includes help and advice on housing issues, benefits, family and relationship matters, employment issues, money and debt concerns, one to one professional counselling and general befriending of the community. 

Managed by a local church, the centre for many is church in the community, meeting people’s needs as they come.  Our goal put simply is to love our local community by helping meet their needs.  To always ‘stop for the one’ and to ‘go the extra mile’.

Whether this be by helping them fill in forms to get the benefits their entitled to; empowering them and walking with them as they challenge injustice in their workplace; offering one to one counselling to overcome trauma; being a listening ear, releasing someone from debt or helping the widow to sort out their affairs. 

We work in partnership on a daily basis.  We get many referrals to us from local GP’s, Children’s Centre’s, Schools, Local Authority Workers, Churches, other people we’ve helped etc.

We sign post on to many different agencies depending on the need of the individual.  We try to find specialists in each area so that when an issue arises we know exactly who we need to contact.

One of our other main activities is to provide a weekly lunch club – providing an affordable 2 course meal and afternoon activity programme for about 30 isolated, vulnerable people each week. 

Our activities are community led, responding to the needs of individuals and the community as a whole.  Coordinated from the centre, but using other local buildings, working with other agencies, developing initiatives and supporting activities throughout the locality we provide a community development network.

For more information please visit Shinewater Shaftesbury Centre