"You give advice on money, don't you? Well ...."

Debt is always in the news, and at the CAB we have people trained to advise on how to deal with debts. We'll make phone calls and negotiate repayments and even talk through what it means to apply for bankruptcy.

But there's a lot about money that we can't provide advice on. We can't say what would be a good investment, or which insurance policy to buy, for instance.

It's not always easy for our clients to see the difference between debt advice and money advice, and we may have to disappoint clients who've come to us for help.

In September last year, The Tudor Trust funded us to run free Money Management training. We try to help people develop budgeting skills, claiming welfare benefits, calculate a budget and we've loads of tips on making the most of the money that is coming in.

The emphasis of the course is on skills development, empowerment and reducing the stigma often attached to debt.

People don't always realise that all Citizens Advice Bureaux are voluntary organisations, and that our first concern is for our clients: the people who live locally and would like some help. We're not going to pass on information about you to anyone, unless you particularly ask us to.

In fact, all we want to do is give you some good advice - about money.

Call in or phone us on York 623648 and ask about the Money Management courses.