Debt Free Advisors shortlisted for Frontline Team of the Year at the Third Sector Awards 2026
In the year Debt Free Advice celebrates its twentieth anniversary, the partnership’s frontline advisors have been shortlisted for Frontline Team of the Year at the Third Sector Awards 2026.
The nomination recognises the outstanding work of more than 100 debt advisors and front line colleagues delivering free, FCA-regulated debt advice across London through a partnership of 18 community-based charities, led by Toynbee Hall.
Debt Free Advice has been helping Londoners overcome problem debt since 2006. Over the past 20 years, the partnership has grown into one of the UK’s largest collaborative debt advice services, bringing together independent charities to work as one team with shared standards, training, technology and quality assurance.
The Frontline Team of the Year shortlist recognises the advisers at the heart of the service, who support thousands of people every year facing financial hardship, including those experiencing the threat of eviction, unemployment, ill health, relationship breakdown and other major life changes.
During 2025/26 financial year, Debt Free Advice supported more than 13,000 Londoners and secured £24.4 million in financial gains for people struggling with debt and money worries — the highest annual financial gains achieved in the partnership’s history.
What makes the service distinctive is its collaborative model. Although advisers are employed by 19 different charities across London, they operate as one unified frontline team. They work to shared FCA-regulated standards and use common systems, quality frameworks and training to ensure people receive consistent, high-quality debt advice wherever they access the service.
For two decades, Debt Free Advice has demonstrated that collaboration can achieve more than any one organisation working alone. Advisers across the partnership share expertise and support one another while remaining rooted in the communities they serve.
The shortlist recognises not only the impact achieved for clients, but also the professionalism, resilience and compassion shown by advisers every day as they help people navigate some of the most stressful periods of their lives.
Matt Dronfield, Interim Chief Executive of Toynbee Hall, said:
“Every day our advisers help people facing some of the most stressful moments of their lives. Behind every statistic is someone worried about keeping a roof over their head, supporting their family or finding a way out of debt. This nomination recognises the skill, professionalism and compassion our advisers bring to those conversations.
Debt Free Advice has always been built on the belief that working together delivers better outcomes than working alone. Twenty years on, that partnership is stronger than ever, and I am incredibly proud to see our advisers recognised nationally.
Having been responsible for the service since 2019, I have seen first-hand the commitment of advisers across the partnership and the difference they make for thousands of Londoners every year. This recognition belongs to every member of the frontline team.”
The winners of the Third Sector Awards 2026 will be announced at the awards ceremony on Friday 11 September 2026.
