Northumberland Community Bank has hosted a showcase event as part of the national initiative, Talk Money Week 2018.

The event, supported by Northumberland County Council, invited local people, key stakeholders, supporters and partners to County Hall, Morpeth to hear about how Northumberland Community Bank is working hard to improve the financial wellbeing of people within the county.

Talk Money Week celebrates the work thousands of organisations are doing to improve money management across the UK. The nationwide week is an annual event organised as part of the Financial Capability Strategy for the UK. It aims to get more people talking about money and to encourage organisations to showcase their services.

Speakers at the event included Hexham MP Guy Opperman, chairman of Northumberland Community Bank, Mark I’Anson and Abi Conway from Citizens Advice Northumberland.

Mr Opperman, who is also Minister for Financial Inclusion said: “Today’s event was a fantastic opportunity to showcase what a success story it has been. Since its foundation in 2015, the bank has grown exponentially in size, and now has an array of services on offer – from payroll for businesses to online banking and loans.”

The community bank has a mission to help those in need, deliver safe and stable community banking and reinvest any profits back into our local community. It’s a not for profit enterprise, which means any surplus made by the bank will be ploughed back into Northumberland communities.

Lauren Langton, chief executive at Northumberland Community Bank said: “We all have an important part to play in helping improve people’s money management skills and financial wellbeing. At the community bank, we deal with people every week who feel trapped in a high interest loan or credit card.

“We want to prevent people getting into this situation and are here to provide lower interest loans and a safe home for savings.”

Coun. Nick Oliver, cabinet member for corporate services at Northumberland County Council said: “Talk Money Week is a fantastic initiative to get residents and organisations in Northumberland talking about money, and get the advice and support they need.

“Northumberland Community Bank is a great example of how we, as a council, are committed to supporting organisations that bring huge benefits to people living within the county. It’s a local bank for local people and offers a range vital services that I’d encourage everyone to find out more about.” Northumberland Community Bank is based in Ashington and provides people living in the county with a face-to-face alternative to high street banks or money lenders.

Abi Conway, chief executive from Citizens Advice Northumberland added: “We see people day in, day out that enter into inappropriate arrangements that they simply can’t afford. So it’s really important we work together to tackle and alleviate these hardship issues.We’re delighted to be working in partnership with the Northumberland Community Bank to promote responsible lending to support everyone in the county.”

For more information visit www.northumberlandcommunitybank.co.uk or call (01670) 522 779.