Mental health charity Wiltshire Mind has benefited from a new scheme run by Wessex Water to support financial literacy and money management projects.

The charity received nearly £7,000 from the water company’s Money Matters awards scheme, which sees grants of up to £10,000 handed to organisations across the region.

The scheme is part of the company’s assistance programme, tap, which offers help to those in financial difficulty, who are struggling to pay their bills or repay their debt.

Wiltshire Mind, which received £6,930, will be using the grant to run sessions on debt advice and money management at its established peer support groups at its You in Mind centres in Trowbridge, Devizes, Chippenham, Malmesbury and Melksham.

The money will help fund trained and accredited financial planning and debt management advisors to provide advice sessions for existing members of the group and others who feel they may benefit from such support.

Topics to be covered at the advice sessions will include financial literacy, balancing income and expenditure and managing debt.

David Mckeigue, chief executive of Wiltshire Mind, said: “The intention is not to turn our attendees into budding financial experts but importantly, in these times of austerity, provide them with a general awareness of financial literacy and budget planning.

“Thanks to the funding from Wessex Water we are able to bring in a professional advisor, which we wouldn’t normally have been able to do”.

He added: “What is great about these sessions is that they will be carried out in the same environment that our attendees are used to coming into every week.

“That plays a big part in their security and confidence and breaks down any barriers which may normally prevent them from using such a service.

“The money management sessions will start in early 2014 on the back of an advertising and awareness program from Wiltshire Mind using local and county-wide newspapers as well as BBC Wiltshire radio, social media and collaboration with other community groups. If you would like to attend you can call our office to register on 01225 706532”.

Sue Lindsay, head of customer relations at Wessex Water, said: “We want to help our customers to understand financial matters in every way we can.

“We offer a range of assistance and practical help for customers in financial difficulty through our tap programme.

“But we also want to help prevent people from falling into difficulty in the first place and we are hoping to do this by supporting financial literacy and money management projects.”

A second round of grants will be awarded by a panel of experts in January. The deadline for the second round of applications will close at the end of December. For an application form visit www.wessexwater.co.uk/tap and click on related information