Sorting out your finances is normally up there at the top of most people's list of New Year's resolutions.

The credit cards might have taken a battering during the Christmas shopping frenzy — and now the bills are coming in thick and fast and the debts are mounting up. It's a spiral that more and more people from all walks of life are tumbling into.

And at the forefront of helping the record numbers of people in debt is the Consumer Credit Counselling Service, a charity with an office in Eastbourne and a team of counsellors and specialist money advisers.

Maggie Kirkpatrick is the St Leonard's Road centre's counsellor and manager. She said, "Walk down the street, reach your hands out and you will touch somebody who is in debt. It affects so many people and we are receiving more and more calls from people who are desperate for help. We are here to help, not to judge."

Maggie heads a team of counsellors and advisors who are there to help people who are worried about the amount of debt they have, who can no longer meet their monthly credit agreements or who feel anxious about what might happen to them.

Staff perform an immediate assessment of the situation ending in emergency help, self-help material or the offer of a counselling appointment with a full review of the credit and debt situation followed by a recommendation.

The first priority wherever possible is to allow for essential expenditure, priority debts and living expenses. The CCCS will assess whether the client has enough left over to make an offer of repayment to other creditors. If so, creditors are asked to freeze interest, stop penalties and charges, accept a longer repayment period and sometimes a reduced sum.

The person in debt is given a reference number which they can be given to creditors and demonstrates they are trying to do something about their situation. Creditors are then often willing to be a little more understanding.

"All it takes is a phone call to us," said Maggie. "People need to have a rough idea of their debts and one of our counsellors can help. That first call can be such a relief to the person because they have shared the problem of their debt, something they might not have told their partner or family about.

"That one call changes their lives because we are offering support and can aid their own handling of the debt."

The CCCS can help with a number of debt solutions from a debt management plan to helping with bankruptcy proceedings, IVAs and other options.

And the service is totally free. As a charity, the CCCS does not charge for services and everything is free and confidential.

The CCCS can be contacted on 0800 138111 or via the website www.cccs.co.uk