As we all know, times are tight at the moment and many people are finding themselves in financial difficulty.

The Money Advice Service is a free, impartial organisation which helps people in the UK to make the most of their money.  Some of its key services include:

• Help with everyday money management, such as how to put together a realistic budget.
  
• Information to help people choose the financial product that is right for them.
• Advice for people making large purchases.
• Guidance on issues which are in the news, such as payday loans, and how to find a more suitable alternative.

Advice is available over the web at www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk or through MAS's Freephone line 0300 500 5000.

Today I met with pupils from Deptford Green School in New Cross to discuss the research they have been carrying out into rising food prices and the impact on local people.

Thanks to the British Council's 'Connecting Classrooms' project, Deptford Green has a trilateral partnership with St Kizito School in Kampala, Uganda and Rainbow College in Lagos, Nigeria.  It is also an Oxfam lead school, one of ten in the UK who partner with the charity to develop active global citizenship across the curriculum.  

Students from the school travelled to Uganda to participate in research after being inspired by Oxfam's GROW campaign to tackle global hunger.  The students stayed with the families of St Kizito School pupils and interviewed vendors and customers at the local markets.  Upon their return to the UK they conducted the same research at Deptford Market whilst the Rainbow College in Nigeria did similar at their local market.

The students' research uncovered rising prices in all three cities and the strategies ordinary people use to cope: mainly substituting cheaper but less nutritional food for more expensive food or buying food in smaller quantities and therefore skipping meals or snacking.

Spending time in a developing country is one of the most important experiences in life and young people at Deptford Green are privileged to have that opportunity.  I was delighted to hear accounts of their findings and to have the chance to discuss with them a wide range of issues around food poverty, prices and production.  These visits are invaluable in broadening horizons and giving young people an understanding of the great challenges facing the global community.