Poppy Mayer

Westminster resident Poppy, 25, is a single mum with a six-year old son. She found herself spiraling into debt after taking out a credit card three years ago.

She said: “Having a credit card changes the way you shop. You buy nice food and things you can’t afford. You think, it’s only £20 here and £20 there but it soon mounts up.”

Prioritising her credit card payments meant that Poppy fell behind on electricity, water and television bills. When her Dad passed away, she stopped paying everything except the funeral bill.

Poppy tried to keep in contact with the bank but said: “They didn’t take me seriously or let me know all the options that were available to me.”

When the court summons started arriving, Poppy took action and went to Westminster CAB where she met Debt Casework Supervisor, Samantha Joseph. She says: “The most important thing Samantha did was to reassure me. I was so worried but she got on the case immediately. I left with a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.”

Samantha helped Poppy to draw up a budget sheet and contacted the debtors on her behalf. She arranged a grant to cover the cost of the funeral bills and agreed a payment plan with the bank and utility providers.