PEOPLE living on low incomes are being offered free life-skills courses from the charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP) at their parish church.

St Saviour’s, Iford, in Bournemouth, was one of the first churches to receive training from CAP to pilot the eight-week course, which promises to give people “confidence and decision-making skills” to “live well” and “feel positive” on a low income.

One of the office team at St Saviour’s, Sarah Harris, said: “It’s a series of lovely, relaxed sessions. We’ll be looking at lifting the pressure to spend. . . [and] making good food so we can help our families stay healthy on a budget.”

The end of the course focuses on family and relationships. “It will be some of those key things you wished they had taught you at school, but didn’t.”

A spokesperson for CAP explained: “CAP Life Skills is a friendly group that gives people the confidence and decision-making skills they need to survive life on a low income. We teach people practical money-saving techniques, such as cooking on a budget, living healthily on less, and making your money go further.”

One of those attending the pilot course, Alice, said: “It helped with budgeting, having that community and those people there that you wouldn’t usually speak to.” Another said that the most positive aspect of the course was “making new friends, learning about money, and making good plans”.

CAP offers debt-counselling, money-management, job clubs, and support for people breaking addictions, from its 576 centres across the UK.