Van-tastic! We’re keeping the wolf from the door

After running a successful loan shark campaign last year, we were delighted to find out that we had secured a further £5K from the Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT).

This is the maximum amount awarded and comes from convicted loan sharks who have had their assets seized under money laundering laws.

This pot of funding joins the £3K national prize money that we won from IMLT’s Stop Loan Sharks Project for the fantastic awareness raising scheme that we delivered using #cheltenhamsaysno

Since then we’ve been working hard to create an even bigger and better campaign to keep the wolf away.

• Delivered 900 leaflets to areas such as the Moors, St Peters and St Pauls to warn residents of the perils of getting involved with loan sharks 
• Printed our ‘Keep the Wolf from the Door’ campaign message on the back of 5 CBH repair vans (so far)
• Presented at a special event organised by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), to inform other local organisations of the campaign 
• Raised awareness of the dangers of loan sharks and how to report them at our CBH Work Clubs 
• Provided FREE benefit and money advice at the Jobcentre to remind people that there is help available 
• Leaflets and promotional items are being displayed in the reception areas of other local organisations

With the campaign in full swing, IMLT’s mascots ‘Sid the Shark’ and ‘Glenda the Lenda’ also made a special appearance to show their support and check out the new designs on the back of our vans – we’ve got picture evidence below:

CBH Benefit and Money Advice Team Leader, Grant Bailey said: “After the success of last year’s #cheltenhamsaysno scheme, in which we received a phenomenal amount of support from our residents and local partners to help us stamp out these unscrupulous money lenders, we’re absolutely thrilled to yet again be presented with another opportunity to carry on this influential campaign.

I would like to thank everyone including the IMLT for their invaluable support so far and we’re already looking forward to not only hitting the streets but the road too to remind everyone to “Keep the Wolf from the Door!”

Tony Quigley, head of the Illegal Money Lending Team, said: “We are pleased to support CBH with their latest campaign which helps residents to ‘keep the wolf from the door’ and encourages reporting of loan sharks.

“Seizing the ill-gotten gains of these unscrupulous lenders sends an excellent message that crime doesn’t pay and that the money is being used to keep communities safe from illegal money lending.   We would urge anyone who has been the victim of a loan shark to report the lender in confidence on 0300 555 2222.”

Keep your eyes peeled on our website and social media for the latest updates on the campaign and to see how we use the money to bite back against the loan sharks.

To report a loan shark:

Call the 24/7 confidential hotline 0300 555 2222

Text a report to 078600 22116

Visit the website www.stoploansharks.co.uk

E-mail reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk 

Private message on www.facebook.com/stoploansharksproject