A Matter of Life and Debt

In this episode it is all about the dough when a baker gets a loan to set up his own specialist pie shop. Plus how a single mum proved the high street banks wrong by creating a successful language school after starting at her kitchen table, and one woman's journey from being a successful entrepreneur to having £10 to her name... and back again.

The programme meets dad-of-five Roger, who is holding down two jobs as he gets a loan allowing him to finish and launch his own business - a unique ice cream van. An NHS worker reveals how she struggled with crippling credit card debts. And, following her recuperation after an accident, a woman launches her mermaid swimming school in Bournemouth with the help of a spirited loans advisor.

Jade is looking for £1,500 to redecorate her daughter's bedroom, while Miriam needs £1,000 for an educational trip to Germany. A former bus driver explains how an addiction to credit drove her to bankruptcy. In Manchester, an ethical loan allows food fan Mark to launch his BBQ business in an authentic American school bus, and in Stroud a £500 loan means Fergus's dream of becoming a therapist comes true.

Members of London Mutual Credit Union try to get loans for everything from home improvements to a daughter's birthday party. The programme meets the young Muslim woman whose loan allowed her to turn a passion for modest fashion into a viable business. And there is the dramatic tale of a former army major who lost everything when he built up huge debts with his gambling addiction.

The programme meets the woman who waited over 20 years before a small loan allowed her to realise her dream of opening her own sewing business, and a grandmother keeps her son's name alive by setting up a cafe in his memory with the help of an ethical loan. There is also the horror story of a young man's experience of dealing with loan sharks, and we're at London Capital Credit Union to find out if they will approve a loan for some much-needed garden maintenance.

Loans help couple Katerina and Colin set up a health food shop in rural Wales, and Syrian refugee Razan take her own line of Halloumi cheese out of the family kitchen and into the big time. We meet a mum who ended up homeless after struggling with redundancy and spiralling debts, and we also follow members of the Lewisham and Bromley credit union, including 78-year-old salsa dancer Leroy, who needs £400 for some furniture for his new flat.

This episode follows Laura as she tries to get a loan to set up her own grilled cheese sandwich bar. We also meet Rebirtha, a retired teacher who, following a stroke, was turned down for a loan to insulate her house by the people she had banked with for 15 years, before being saved by a credit union. A loan helps a young woman retrain as a nail technician, and the programme hears from a credit union employee with first-hand experience of being deep in debt.

We meet a couple whose ethical loan has allowed them to create a thriving upcycling furniture business. We also follow members of London Mutual Credit Union, including community worker Jacqui, who needs a loan to pay for new carpet, and nursery teacher Hayley, who wants to borrow for a family holiday.

A loan helps a Cornish couple to transform access for blind people by funding their unique business idea - a device that describes the layout of a room, enabling the visually impaired to find their way around. The programme also meets a woman with a passion for Nigerian food who set up her own catering business following the death of her mum, and we hear how a handyman from Middlesbrough turned to doorstep loans to feed his growing family.

Lanarkshire Credit Union in Glasgow helps animal lover Vikki set up her own dog-walking business, a loan from Swan Credit Union in Milton Keynes reunites three long-distance friends, and the programme follows a musician as he applies for a loan to pay for a ticket to America, where he is hoping to get a record contract with the Bob Marley family label.

This episode meets Marion, a nurse who changed career to launch a dog spa after seeing how it helped her own pet. Nine months on, her loans advisor Sarah comes to see if the money has been well spent. A credit union loan helps a father who needs a car to take his young sons to school, and there is the story of how misusing payday loans plunged a young man into debt.

The programme is at London Capital Credit Union to follow Sheila's application for £3,000 that she needs to buy a car so she can get back into employment, and it meets council worker Alan, who is looking for a loan to pay for his summer holiday. Plus some inspirational success stories, including a mum of six who went from benefits to bankrupt to becoming a successful florist, and Leicester's very own Willy Wonka, who went from teaching himself the tricks of the trade from the internet to making chocolate for the Queen, with the help of a £6,000 loan.

The programme meets two credit union volunteers with very different stories to tell - cancer survivor Cate on how a loan helped her to start retraining as a nurse and a cautionary tale from 57-year-old Sue, who paid the price for sticking her head in the sand. And a loan helps a young pet fanatic turn his love of lizards into an award-winning business.

Featuring a look at how a loan takes an idea off the ground when two Somerset brothers borrow to start a business creating furniture made from aviation parts. The programme meets Marina, who since arriving in the UK at 17 knowing very little English, has transformed her life using a credit union loan for education. Plus how Brian found himself deep in debt after his mother died when he was just 18.

Featuring a woman who became a successful photographer and a couple in Cornwall as they open their sweet shop and tearoom. And the programme is back at London Capital Credit Union, where 47-year-old Alev is looking for a loan so she can pay for the travel to a family funeral overseas.