March 2026 – As Debt Awareness Week gets underway, the CEO of Northamptonshire
charity Community Law Service is calling on residents across the county not to let shame
stand between them and the help they need.
Sarah Hayle, CEO of Community Law Service, took the message to the airwaves last week,
appearing on BBC Radio Northampton with presenter Annabel Amos to discuss the charity’s
Sort It Sooner campaign. Speaking ahead of Debt Awareness Week, Sarah used the platform
to highlight a pattern the charity sees every day – people waiting until they are at crisis
point before asking for free, specialist help.
Sarah says: “National data shows that 86% of people with debt feel ashamed of it and that
shame is one of the biggest barriers to people seeking help…and we see the consequences
of this every day. People arrive at crisis point, when early advice could have changed
everything.”
Debt Awareness Week, which this year focuses on breaking the stigma around financial
difficulty, aligns closely with the ethos of Community Law Service’s Sort It Sooner campaign,
launched in September 2025. The campaign urges people across Northamptonshire to seek
advice as soon as a problem arises…whether that is debt, housing, benefits, energy and fuel
poverty, or immigration…rather than waiting until the situation has become unmanageable.
The need is significant. Last year, Community Law Service helped clients manage debt cases
with a combined value of over £29 million across Northamptonshire. Behind each of those
cases, says Sarah, is a person who waited – often too long – before asking for help.
“Debt can happen to anyone”, Sarah says. “A lost job, an unexpected bill, a relationship
breakdown, a bereavement – life changes fast. The people we help aren’t irresponsible.
They’ve faced circumstances that any of us could face. What makes the difference is getting
help early, before debt escalates, before stress takes hold, and before what could have been
resolved quickly becomes a complex crisis.”
The charity offers free weekly debt advice drop-in sessions where people can speak to an
adviser the same day, as well as appointments through the week providing specialist
support across a wide range of debt types including council tax arrears, mortgage and rent
arrears, personal debt, and creditor negotiation.
More than half of people in the UK have experienced problem debt at some point – yet the
stigma around financial difficulty remains one of the most significant obstacles to people
seeking support. Sarah is keen to address this directly: “You are not alone. Debt is not a
personal failing. It is something that can happen to anyone, and there is no shame in asking
for help. Our service is free, confidential and completely non-judgemental. Please don’t
wait.”
While the focus this week is debt, the Sort It Sooner message runs across all of Community
Law Service’s work. The charity provides free specialist advice on debt but also for
eviction/repossession, benefits, energy and fuel poverty, and immigration – and in every
area, the story is the same: earlier intervention leads to better outcomes.
Community Law Service is asking organisations, employers, and community partners across
Northamptonshire to help spread the word this Debt Awareness Week – sharing
information about the free services available and helping to reach people before they reach