(Sept. 23, 2011 - by Ralph Kurtenbach) England's debtors' prisons have faded to the distant past, but problem debt brings instead mental anguish as real as rock walls and iron bars.

"I was living in my own little hell," commented a man helped by a debt counseling British charity, Christians Against Poverty (CAP). A newly produced 30-second commercial to be aired on Metro Radio in Newcastle, U.K., will share stories of those whom CAP helped to climb out of the debt pit.

During CAP's radio campaign, listeners may empathize with a woman who "felt buried under a mountain of debt" or another woman who "thought I might as well go to prison." The Bradford-based charity has teamed up with HCJB Global-UK, a media and healthcare charity, to design an advertisement using the voices of past clients to explain the difference the service has made to their situation.

Simile replaced the man's "personal hell" metaphor, as he declared, "It's been like a big weight off my shoulders." One of the women described her relief this way, "I'm not depressed anymore."

CAP's Sept. 26-Oct. 2 radio campaign is the charity's first venture into radio advertising. It comes not long after CAP research revealed that 37 percent of its clients had considered or attempted suicide prior to seeking help. The charity is hoping it will encourage desperate people to contact one of its many new debt centers in northeast England.

A counselor with Christians Against Poverty visits clients in their home to help them find a way through their debt problems.

Research also revealed that 62 percent of clients with children had found themselves unable to clothe or feed them adequately. Sixty-one percent admitted to waiting more than a year before seeking help for their debts, many because they did not think anyone could help them or because they felt too ashamed or embarrassed.

CAP counselors have learned that overspending and credit cards were not their clients' descents, but instead changes in circumstances, including job loss, relationship breakdown, illness or bereavement.

"The most tragic figure for us is that so many people waited to get help, feeling suicidal, hungry and ill and all the while believing no one could help them," said CAP Chief Executive Matt Barlow. He added that people postpone intervention, thinking the problem is too big to tackle.

"The truth is so very different," Barlow concluded. "Every day at CAP we're celebrating more clients becoming debt free."

Sources: HCJB Global-UK, www.christiantoday.com