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Guides take on loan sharks

22nd August 2014 Print

Girlguiding group has joined the fight against illegal money lenders and been rewarded for making a difference in their community.

A Girlguiding group from Reading has joined the fight against illegal money lenders and been rewarded for making a difference in their community by being named as the Stop Loan Sharks Champions for 2014.

The 5th Tilehurst Guides won the award which is hosted by the England Illegal Money Lending Team in partnership with Trading Standards around the country.

The group, which is part of Girlguiding, the UK’s leading charity for girls and young women, won the award through designing their own unique challenge badge. Members of any age can access this through the group and earn the badge by working through a booklet of challenges about savings, banking and safe places you can go to borrow money.

It is hoped this will help educate more young people and their families about the dangers of loan sharks with an estimated 310,000 households currently in debt to illegal money lenders.

Consumer Affairs Minister, Jo Swinson, said:

These young women are rightly being commended for their innovative and determined efforts to prevent people becoming embroiled with loan sharks. It shows how Girlguiding is tackling modern issues and equipping girls with vital skills.

Illegal money lenders should be reported immediately and if anyone finds themselves in financial difficulty, the key thing is to not suffer in silence. The government’s Money Advice Service (moneyadviceservice.org.uk) or debt charities like StepChange can provide the much needed support, guidance and advice that people need.

Ellen Mitchell, 16, a Young Leader with the 5th Tilehurst Guides and one of the young women who led the project, said:

We learned about the impact loan sharks were having in our area and we wanted to take action and raise awareness. As a Young Leader I helped a group of girls to come up with new ideas for the practical challenges in the resource. It really strengthened the bonds between us all and I’m really proud that we have created such a fun and useful badge. I loved every minute of it!

Kim Jakubiszyn, the Leader of 5th Tilehurst Guides said:

I have always been so incredibly proud of my small team of volunteers, our Guides and their achievements. For them to become award winners because they wanted to take action and make a difference not just in their community, but as far and wide as possible, is amazing.