Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is celebrating after being awarded first place in the Sunday Times 'Best Small Company to Work For' Awards.

Now in their sixth year, the 'Best Companies Awards' have come to be recognised as the benchmark for all that is outstanding in terms of working environment.

With employees anonymously answering wide-ranging surveys about their company, the results provide a vital insight into the inner-workings of many organisations across the country in an unbiased way.

Matt Barlow, UK Chief Executive, said, "We have shown very clearly that as God's people, we can lead the way in terms of creating a stimulating and dynamic working environment that expects the best from our employees but gives the most comprehensive support; something that will make the secular world sit up and listen."

CAP was praised for its leadership, with 97 per cent of employees rating the quality of management as good or excellent. In recognition of this Mr Barlow received the prestigious 'Best Leader' Award.

Personal growth was another area that was singled out by employees as being excellent, with 95 per cent agreeing that the job was good for their personal growth.

CAP has undergone a period of expansion over the past couple of years and now boasts an annual turnover of around £5 million.

Through CAP's unique approach to debt counselling, its specialist service has received widespread praise from both secular and Christian circles for its quality.

Mr Barlow continued, "Words can't describe how happy we are to receive this award. So often Christian organisations are seen as either amateurish or out of touch with the real world, so we're pleased to challenge those perceptions.

"However, in spite of this fantastic award, we're not going to get complacent. Our charity exists because people across the UK are imprisoned by debt and everything we do is driven by the fact that we are called to reach out to these people with a practical demonstration of Jesus' love.

"To this end, we hope that the award will further grow the work of Christians Against Poverty."