Founders’ Credentials
Charity Number #1
Creditcure Debt Survival Charity
Our Research of HM Courts
Revealed 404 People Committed Debt-Suicide in 1996
Nobody should die of debt. Rather than just give some warm words of comfort to his friend’s widow and two teenage children, the founder of Argyll Group plc (the same person as established this website), thought long and hard about how to remedy this nightmare? How to stop people dying from debt. That is how and why this charity started.
Specifically on 25th Match 1997 we registered charity number 1061544. Talk Radio in London asked for an interview. Funds were needed to run the charity, so the offer was accepted. The first interview with Scott Chisolm resulted in HUNDREDS of enquiries – from people buried in money worries. Our small group of volunteers struggled with the number of folk in unmanageable debt.
To help sort out these problems an efficient way was devised. We quickly wrote this DIY debt survival manual and it did the job…
^^ DIY Debt Survival Manual ^^
It worked well and we ran out of the 1,000 print run, a second edition was written. A good amount of fine-tuning was incorporated so it worked more intuitively for each client…
^^ DIY Debt Survival Manual ^^
The name Creditcure was changed to Creditcare. This was slightly less inflammatory. By this point, we were getting through to banks and a memorandum of understanding was brought about. One that moved the debt management system (during default) from the British Dickensian penalty (close to debtors prison) and find a more civilised way forward.
Dare we say, something akin the American format. By that we mean for those who try their best at starting a business for example, are not penalised to abject bankruptcy just for making their best effort to do the right thing and create jobs as well as support themselves and their families. Nobody should lose their house and family for that. But it happens and far worse…
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Why Start This Charity?
Here is an old photo of this website: Scotslion Ltd., Managing Director and this companies predecessor owner, formerly Argyll Group plc., CEO, Russ McLean taken in 1993…
^^ Russ McLean in the 1993 ^^
A friend asked if Russ was chewing a wasp or a cactus given the facial expression.
To avoid misrepresentation, here is a more modern photo…
^^ Russ McLean in 2023: 30 Years Just Flew By ^^
But not for For Terry Who Died in 1996.
The “cactus” reference by our friend is, unfortunately where the humour ends. The friend had a business based near to London, which is where the “younger” 1993 photo was taken. Sadly, it was our departed friend Terry who took that 1993 photo when he was at a happier time in his life.
We did not know it back between 1993 and 1996…
=> But Russ McLean’s friend was headed towards financial ruin.
=> Within a short while of what was a happy occasion, Russ’ friend had taken his own life.
=> Rather than just offer some warm words of condolence to his friend’s widow and two teenage children, Russ channelled he anger and distress by writing to every Coroner in England and Wales asking how many people take their own lives where debt is a material factor.
=> All of the Procurators Fiscal in Scotland were written to as well ~ the coronial system is slightly different in the north (updated: click here).
=> The answer (in the 1990s using old-school pen and paper) was an appalling 404 debt-suicides each year in the UK.
=> When warm words of condolence do not seem to do justice at a funeral, sometimes it is a fair idea to remedy the cause of the tragedy.
=> In this case, the Creditcare Support and Money Advice Association was registered at the Charity Commission.
This charity’s aims are covered here in this excerpt from the Charity Commission website…
^^ Excerpt From The Old Charity Commission Website ^^
We closed this charity after 10 years.
“Boom & Bust” economics were ended.
Or so we were told by Gordon Brown.
The team at Scotslion Ltd., and from our earlier Argyll Group plc., are studiously non-political. But there is an obligation to be reasonably aware of matters surrounding political issues. Especially those, for example, where debt-management are concerned.
=> Since the 1997 General Election we had been asking politicians of all flavours that schools have tuition in safe money management included in their curriculum as a fundamental basic. One that would serve them well in the real world.
In 2006 we were advised by local MP Gordon Brown that our request for schools to teach students about money and especially household bills + safe debt-management would be included in their educational syllabus. Curiously before the phrase became common currency, our MP advised that “boom and bust” was going to be a thing of the past. Stability was intended for Gordon Brown’s legacy as Chancellor of the Exchequer (that didn’t age well, which is one reason why we are non-political).
Although by 2006, we had already noticed a reduction of numbers needing the services of our charity. So the trustees took a decision to gently wind down the charity after it had completed 10 years of use.
In addition to several thousand folk that had been helped during the lifespan of this charity, and a modest tribute to our friend who had taken his own life, we also learnt an important lesson…
=> It may seem odd, but we BAN mortgages on our company assets (and the majority of us have reached a healthy point where are own homes have NO mortgages on them!
This rule has helped remove vast amount of worry and stress.
It is worthy of further study. But for this brief segment relating to the first charity, hopefully our newer readers will appreciate why we are averse to debt in general and for the past 27 years, mortgages are irrevocably off of the menu.
^^ The Angel of Debt ^^
The Observer ran an article in the 1990s.
We weren’t too keen on the title!
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Should We Bring Back The Creditcare
Money Advice Charity?
This website is focussing on reducing electricity bills + bringing household budgets back to manageable levels.
Plus the our High Street rescue initiative has brought 46 empty buildings back yo use and 178 new jobs. It was set to be replicated in several towns across the UK until we put that on pause to sort out the fuel-price-crisis.
As we have launched this website as a WORK-IN-PROGRESS so as to stop as many debt-suicides a soon as possible. we would ask YOU if you have a view on this question?
=> Are there enough CAB and money advice charities in the UK or do we need more. Answers please to: Click Here.
Any advice or constructive comment that you send to us is very warmly appreciated.
What has caused us to think again about resurrecting the money advice charity (and drastically increasing the number of branches) is the details from respected money advice journalist and campaigner, Martin Lewis, C.B.E.
We are not sure about you, but this article from Martin put a shudder up our spine…
Full Martin Lewis Article: Click Here
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We closed our modest Creditcare Money Advice Charity in 1997. But 17 years later in 2024, we are now looking at whether more of these money advice charities are needed.
Ironically ALL of the good banks we approached in the 1990s were IN FAVOUR of mediation charities.
=> Money advice mediation works. It results in vastly better outcomes foor folk living on the financial edge of decent into unmanageable poverty. It also assists those to whom money is oed to have a fair and trusted measure of AFFORDABLE repayment.
For the time being, experts far more qualifies than our COP-GS power generation project are helping to bring unmanageable debt under control.
^^ Full Martin Lewis Article: Click Here ^^
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