Community branch to come to bankless Northumberland town

A new community branch is set to launch in a Northumberland town that has been without banking services since 2018.

Newcastle Building Society and the Glendale Gateway Trust announced at the Trust’s Annual General Meeting this week that they have agreed an intention to establish a community branch in Wooler.

The partnership aims to deliver a fully functioning community branch, to be based in the established Cheviot Centre community hub which currently features tourist information services, a library and community meeting spaces.

Newcastle Building Society chief executive Andrew Haigh commented: “We are convinced that the high street has an important role to play at the heart of our communities.\

“[We] have been investing significantly in improving our existing branch network and in thinking creatively around how we can be physically present in communities that are struggling to access the financial services they need.

“Working closely with the Glendale Gateway Trust to deliver face to face financial services and financial advice for the benefit of Wooler is part of our wider strategy that puts our emphasis on growing a bright and sustainable future hand in hand with local people.

Patrick Sheard, chair of Glendale Gateway Trust, added: “We are delighted that our proposed partnership with Newcastle Building Society will bring financial services provision back within walking distance of the majority of residents.

“This move reinforces the significance of the Cheviot Centre as a community hub at the centre of life in Glendale and is a huge vote of confidence in the economic well-being of our town.”