A Matter of Life and Debt

Hard-working Hertfordshire florist and mum of three Collette worries that her poor credit history could prune her plans to open a new shop. Keen to secure a prime position in a shopping centre so she can grow her floristry business, she turns to an ethical lender for £5,000. In Yorkshire, former soldier Nick goes it alone as a tour guide. Using his own savings and a £5,000 loan, he has been able to swap his desk for the dales as his tours have become a roaring success. At the Bristol credit union, Marilyn needs £350 to buy a new cooker, and, faced with a recession and no employment, a pair of graduates decide to create their own jobs by setting up a fashion workshop in Scotland with the help of £12,000.

In London, a community land trust is trying to combat the housing crisis. Set up and run by ordinary people who fix house prices in relation to what people actually earn, it’s trying to prevent locals from being priced out of the neighbourhoods they call home. An ethical loan is the icing on the cake for 32-year-old Pia, who runs an award-winning artisan cake business in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Pia began selling her cakes at markets and fairs but needed £5,000 to get her own vehicle for the business. The Fredericks Foundation lent her the money, and the bakery has continued to rise. And Newport credit union in south Wales has a unique member, Ernie the labrador. Owner Maureen has been saving for Ernie since he got sick and was saddled with expensive vet bills. She now saves whatever she can in case he falls ill again.

In the heart of Newquay in Cornwall a green oasis has been built for the community thanks to crowdfunding. It’s the brainchild of Luke, an ecologist with a dream of turning seven acres of grassland into a green hub for his hometown, growing food to feed people's minds as much as their tummies. Teenage entrepreneur Erika has turned a life-changing diagnosis into a hugely successful business. After receiving intensive physiotherapy in Spain for a spinal deformation known as scoliosis, she decided to start a business offering the non-invasive treatment here in the UK. At 19 she asked for a £50,000 loan and was so successful she was able to pay it back in nine months. At the Lewisham Plus Bromley credit union in south London we meet William, who has come to see about a loan. William fell into difficulties when he lost his job in catering and ended up sleeping rough on the streets for eight months. Now he has a new home and he’d like a loan of £500 to kit it out with all the basics.

A couple from Cornwall swap the rat race for the open road. Jess and Ben hire out restored vintage camper vans thanks to a £5,000 ethical loan that helped turn their dream of running a business into a glorious glamping reality. A young businessman appeals to the internet and gets the funding he needs to set up a ‘green’ business. 28-year-old Stephen has a passion for plants and needed £1250 in crowdfunding to help him branch out in a new direction. And a mum starts the savings habit early to give her children a lesson in finance. Adenike and her children’s savings join the £890 million pounds currently deposited with UK credit unions, which they can loan to others at a much lower interest rate.

James wants a £5,000 loan to pay for his wedding. The only thing he hasn’t done is ask his girlfriend to marry him! But as James has missed payments on a previous loan, will the Cambrian Credit Union say yes to his request? Karen and her father go into business together combining the craft of glassblowing and Scotland’s famous tipple, creating whisky gifts. A £16,000 ethical loan helps a transgender entrepreneur and her friend take control of their own destiny after struggling with employment. They have set up a takeaway with a Portuguese twist in Preston, Lancashire. Patricia believes she faced a lot of stigma when looking for work because of being transgender, and Adele has chronic fatigue syndrome, often making it very difficult to work normal hours. Mel from Bolton went on a spending binge that cost £40,000. Unable to pay her mortgage, Mel lost her home, but with help from a Christian group she has now paid off her debts and gives advice to others in a similar situation.

An ethical loan helps a mum set up the UK’s largest indoor urban skate park in a bid to create a safe place for young people to hang out. Adrenalin Alley in Corby, Northamptonshire, is dedicated to her son John, who was violently attacked in the street, and she has been able to secure a £900,000 loan to secure the park's future. A Yorkshire village comes together to fight off the threat of developers. The people of Marsden are determined to keep the heart of their village alive, and apply for a loan to preserve a historic building for future generations. And a credit union tunes into a musician who needed money to buy a banjo. The funds enabled 70-year-old Billy to go on tour with his band, the Dublin Rogues

A Dartington dairy farmer decides to diversify into goat yoga in a bid to keep his farm alive. He bucks the local trend and applies for a loan to buy equipment to produce his own goat milk and ice cream, and when the goats aren’t being milked, they’re used in a yoga class. In south Wales, a painter gets back to work thanks to an ethical loan. He lost his business when he was diagnosed with cancer, but with a clean bill of health he’s back out with his brushes, taking his decorating business to new heights. Emma turns the aftermath of the London riots into a community venture. She's using a loan to bring local people together, by setting up an award-winning community directory. And in Liverpool, Enterprise Credit Union are on hand to help their members and keep high-interest pay day loans away from its community. And time's running out for a mum who needs an emergency loan to keep a roof over her head. Will the credit union be able to help her and keep her away from loan sharks?

In Manchester, super juicer Paula and her partner John are expanding their popular health drinks business. They used their own funds to set up a juice shop, employing local people, but they're already too squeezed and need a loan to help them upscale operations. An ethical loan helps a group of motivational speakers in London inspire the corporate world to show their human side. The Lions Club is designed to help firms recognise diversity and openly discuss issues including race, disability and mental health. And out in the countryside of north west England, we meet Karen who gave up a corporate job to get into photography. Her environmental mission is to show people the beauty of nature on their doorstep – in the hope they will take a greater interest in preserving their local landscape.

In Cambridge, a £50,000 ethical loan helps turn a kitchen experiment into a buzzing enterprise. Mum-of-two Kath is using natural beeswax to produce an environmentally friendly alternative to cling film and plastic wrapping. A start-up loan in North Yorkshire has helped a man hatch a dream. Bird of prey expert Jack runs a mobile falconry business so people can get up close and personal to his collection of raptors. Alison faces the consequences of an unpaid bill as the bailiffs arrive to take away her car. A credit union is her only hope. And David needs a £600 loan to help spruce up his sister's room ready for her homecoming.

A surfer taps into the internet to crowdfund a project inspiring young girls, and an ethical loan helps rebuild lives blighted by addiction.