An expanding Bradford charity - which has also created branches overseas - has opened new offices to house its growing workforce.

Christians Against Poverty has opened its new operations centre in Bradford's Little Germany to meet the charity's continuous demand for its services, providing advice and counselling to people with debt problems.

The organisation has rapidly grown in its seven-year existence to an annual turnover of £1.3 million and employs a total of 60 staff.

The charity has helped more than 700 people in Bradford alone since it started, and taken on 6,000 clients nationwide.

The workload in Bradford is so great that it cannot take on any new clients at present.

The new centre is based in the former Bradford Boxmakers site, Jubilee Mill, in Little Germany.

It was officially opened yesterday by Paul Scarfe, chairman of the Australian centres, which were first opened three years ago.

Founder and director of Christians Against Poverty John Kirkby said: "Today is an amazing day for me. Without the help of the men and women here, there would be nothing on the scale of what we see today.

"I am slightly overwhelmed. We have come so far in such a short space of time, from starting in a bedroom, and here we are, seven years later. It is a modern day miracle."

The charity's building manager Clive Boldy has played a major part in the development and said he was delighted when Mr Kirkby dedicated the opening to him.

Mr Boldy approached the charity himself more than two-and-a-half years ago when he faced a huge debt he was unable to repay. Since then, he has fought his way back into credit and is now an important member of staff.

It has taken the charity just ten months to transform the building into a modern office, with the help of donations and people investing in the cause.

The central budgeting facility which helps clients to manage their debts is based in the new head office.

Since its inception, CAP has grown into an international charity with seven centres in Australia and 32 centres nation-wide.

Each centre is attached to a church and the charity aims to open 360 CAP centres in the UK - one for every major city.

For help with debt problems, call the National Debt Line on 0800 808 4000.