Partner Article

Bank helps charity staff beat credit crunch

A headline-grabbing high street bank is helping staff at a North East charity stay one step ahead of the current financial turmoil.

Lloyds TSB HBOS etc. (or whatever they’re going to be called) is working with the workforce at Norcare to provide its employees with information and support to reduce the potential dangers of the credit crunch.

Norcare is a supported housing charity that helps vulnerable people across the North East lead more independent lives. Headquartered in Newcastle, it has staff all over the region working on a range of projects.

The bank will be holding a series of workshops for Norcare staff which will cover budgeting, mortgages, pensions and all other aspects of personal finance. The day will be focused on general help rather than the bank publicising its products.

Deirdre Pearson, Norcare finance director, said: “It is undoubtedly the case that people have less disposable income than a year or two ago. Rising petrol and food prices, increasing energy bills and more costly mortgages have all compounded to hit people hard in the pocket.

“It is because of this that we wanted to provide our staff with the opportunity to find out for free how they can keep a handle on their home finances. This is part of our ongoing commitment to being a top rated employer.”

Norcare was this year voted in to Britain’s Top 100 Best Small Businesses to Work For, the third year in a row that it has achieved the accolade. The award is based on interviews with staff about the quality of organisation that they work for.

Stephen Hancock, corporate personal banking manager at Lloyds TSB, said: “This is an excellent example of a caring employer thinking beyond the conditions they provide for staff at work and showing an understanding that companies can support their employees at home as well as in the workplace.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .