Credit Union: A new ‘bank’ for west Leeds

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Imagine a bank where the staff are all volunteers and where all the bank’s profits are given out to its members, writes Blanche Champion.

A bank owned and controlled by its members where you can get reasonable loans to buy a fridge or washing machine, pay unexpected bills or for a welcome holiday. Well, that’s how the newly expanded West Leeds and Bramley’s Credit Union is run.

Credit Union Facts

Credit Unions are mutual financial co-operatives offering a secure way to save and providing low interest loans to members.

West Leeds and Bramley Credit Union is one of over 400 independent Credit Unions in the UK and Ireland.

The original credit union in our area was based in Bramley, where it’s been running successfully since 1992. This summer, it extended its common bond to include most of West Leeds and Pudsey.

Joining this new bank.

Anyone who lives or works in West Leeds and Pudsey can become a member. So can any of your family living at your address.

No worries about the safety of your savings. Your money is 100 per cent secure in this credit union because it’s regulated and overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority. This means it’s covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme just like the big commercial banks.

Reasonable Loans; Reasonable Dividends

A young man came to us recently in despair over his credit card bill. Owing over £5,000 he was just managing to repay the interest rates but the original big credit card debt was still there.

Transferring that debt to a credit union loan with an interest rate of under 12% meant he could pay it off in just over 2 years – and save a little too. Even better, his repayments to the credit union were less each month than the sums he’d been paying to a commercial bank. And he got our dividend of 1.5 per cent on his savings.

Volunteers wanted

If you’re retired, unemployed or have time on your hands for some other reason, why not think of joining us as a member and volunteer helper? With more help we could open other offices and give even greater financial support to our communities in West Leeds.

How to join

Email us at bramleycu@gmail.co.uk  or give us a ring on 07976 492945 Monday to Friday 4pm–6pm. Find out more about us on our website www.bramleycu.org.uk  Twitter: @bramleycu.

If you’d rather talk face to face, we’re in our office in Bramley Community Shop in Bramley Shopping Centre on Tuesdays, Thursdays and the first Saturday of every month from 10am–12pm.

Pictured above are: Chairman Bernard McGrath, committee member Helen Marshall and their daughter Claire. They are all members of the Credit Union.

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