Twelve years ago, Debbie Thompson was on the verge of suicide. Spiralling debts led her to absolute desperation. It was the thought of her two young sons that kept her going.

“Like most people, we’d hidden it from everyone. Eventually I told my vicar, who put me in touch with John Kirkby.”

Kirkby founded debt counselling charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP) in 1996. Not only has it proved a lifeline for thousands of people losing their battle with debt but its caring ethos extends to its employees, who are the happiest in the UK, earning CAP the title of Best Small Company to Work For 2008.

Kirkby is the international director, primarily overseeing the charity’s work in Australia and New Zealand. Chief executive Matt Barlow manages the Bradford head office and the 68 church-based centres in the UK. Staff are inspired by the leadership of the pair, giving a top and near perfect positive score of 98%. They love working for CAP (95%) and have confidence in the leadership of senior managers (98%), another top score.

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Every day in the Bradford office begins with a staff meeting to pray and discuss company news. Employees believe the company is run on strong principles, giving the top score in our survey for this question.

Thompson has now been debt-free for six years. In 1998 she was invited to join the charity’s board of trustees as a client representative, and in 2002 began working for CAP as prayer and staff welfare manager, a role she loves.

People at CAP say they have their dream job, with an 80% score. They are proud to work for the charity (98%), which now has nearly 3,000 clients and 123 employees.

All staff work flexitime and holiday is generous, at 25 days, with an extra day added for every year worked up to a total of 30 days. Staff say stress isn’t a problem, giving an 83% score, and are happy with the balance between work and home life (87%).

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