The month of June has perhaps been one of the busiest in our
Credit Union’s history, so there’s lots to tell you about…
Now we are 18!
Your Credit Union was registered with the then Registrar of
Friendly Societies on 10th June 1999, so this month we attained our
18th anniversary. This
significant milestone was marked by the cutting of a special birthday cake at
our Central Office in Hull by our President, Alan Hignett and our guest from
the Pen Fed Credit Union, Georgia, USA, Sherry Saxon.
HEYCU began life as the credit union for Hull City Council
staff and their families and our first office was a back room down a corridor
in the city’s magnificent Guildhall. We
were only open on Wednesday lunch times at first and run entirely by
volunteers. Despite this, with the
enthusiastic support of the Council workforce, we grew rapidly, beating our
three year plan targets in the first year!
The first ever loans we granted were to help members to buy shares
in the city’s own telecommunications business, KCom, which had just floated on
the stock market! Now, we make loans
for less unusual purposes, such as holidays, Christmas, home improvements, cars
and family celebrations, and more besides.
It’s remarkable to think that we have since expanded to become one
of Britain’s top 15 credit unions, with over 40 payroll partners (including the
DWP, one of the largest government departments) as well as serving over 10,000
members who live and work in the Humber Region.
As someone who was there at the start, seeing our CU “come of age”
is a great personal thrill. I’d like to
pay tribute to all who have shared the journey, including Eddie (our Finance
Manager) and John Bailey (Director) whose involvement, like mine, has spanned
the whole 18 year period.
If you want to learn more about our fascinating history, there’s a timeline on our website.
Our new website
Have you seen our new website? Early in June, with the help of Cornerstone
Mutual Services, we switched over to our fresh look site. Our loan and savings
products are displayed much more clearly and the improved loan calculator (with
an easy to use slider bar) is proving a big hit with members eager to work out
the repayments on a CU Loan.
It’s so easy to navigate – on your smartphone, tablet, laptop or
desk computer – whether you are looking to join online, download forms or
documents, or access one of our partner sites such as Co-op Energy or the Co-op
Electrical Store.
Why not take a browse today, and then give us some feedback? We are always keen to hear what our members
think.
Fairbanking Mark awarded
I am thrilled to announce that we’ve been awarded a 5-star
Fairbanking Mark for our Credit Union Loan products.
The prestigious mark, awarded by the Fairbanking Foundation, recognises that our CU Loan has the
required features to make a positive impact on consumers’ financial
well-being. If you have had a CU Loan,
you’ll be familiar with these admired features, which include:
·
providing loan
applicants with a budget planner to help them work our whether they can afford
to repay a loan;
·
allowing borrowers
to settle early without a fee or penalty charge; and
·
encouraging our
members to save alongside their loan repayments, which supports a savings
habit, and gives an incentive to continue savings when the loan is completed.
Very few banking organisations have achieved a Fairbanking Mark so
far, and even fewer one with 5-stars.
Before a mark is awarded, the bank or credit union undergoes a rigorous
independent survey when members or customers are asked for their views on the
product and their experience of using it.
We’d like to thank all our members who took part in the survey and
helped us to gain our award.
Antony Elliott, the CEO of the Fairbanking Foundation said “We’ve now worked with eleven credit unions
to enable their personal loans to be granted the Fairbanking Mark. The evidence shows that credit unions are
playing an increasingly important role in people’s financial lives in the UK.”
Visit by Georgia League of Credit Unions
The UK credit union movement and the Credit Union League of
Georgia, USA have formed a partnership to work together for mutual benefit
over a ten year period. Credit unions
are huge in the USA and have been around for much longer than in the UK, so we
have much to learn from their experiences.
So, it was truly a pleasure to welcome Mrs Sherry Saxon, the
Regional Director of PenFed Credit Union in Augusta, and her husband
Sidney, to Hull & East Yorkshire Credit Union from 12 to 16 June. Sherry worked with me, and our directors, to
look at how we can further develop our loans business, and revamp our head
office to provide an even better experience for our members. She attended a
Board meeting, to explain how her credit union had grown from a micro-business
to the multi-million dollar organisation that it is today, and how we might
follow in their path, while staying true to our co-operative not-for-profit
ethos. And she visited all our branches and met the directors and staff
socially, which was a most enjoyable experience.
During their time in Hull, Sherry and Sidney visited Hull’s
Guildhall and were treated to afternoon tea with the Lord Mayor and Lady
Mayoress. They were so impressed with
this wonderful historic building. We
should also like to thank the Leader of the Council, Steven Brady, for spending
time with them to talk about Hull’s development strategy. It was a memorable visit and we hope to see
them again at some point.
Howden contact point opens
Wednesday 21st June was a special day for us as we
opened a new Credit Union contact point to serve the town of Howden. Thanks to the kind support of the
Co-operative Group, we will have a table inside the large Co-op supermarket in
Charles Briggs Avenue every Wednesday from 12 noon to 2 pm.
At the contact point residents can join our credit union, pay in
savings deposits, apply for loans and ask about our services. Howden is one of the rural communities that
has sadly lost its main bank, so we are pleased to offer an alternative savings
and loans facility without residents needing to travel to Goole.
Our opening day was also special because we introduced Penny
Penguin, our new penny-wise mascot.
Penny was very popular with the youngsters as she toured the town,
handing out balloons and posing for “selfies”.
While Penny was busy at the Co-op I popped our leaflets through
doors to announce our arrival in town, and enjoyed meeting the people of this
lovely historic town.
CU staff take part in Hull 10k
Congratulations to my staff colleagues, Sandra, Sarah (and her
husband Paul), Matthew, Steve and Kathryn on completing the Hull 10k Run recently. Proudly displaying the HEYCU logo on their
running tops, they did amazingly well especially on the hottest day of the
year!
New Lottery sponsors
We are delighted to welcome the Hull Branch of UNISON, the public service union, as our main
Members’ Lottery sponsors. UNISON have
provided funding for three extra lottery prizes each month, so we hope even
more members will sign up for lottery tickets (£1 each, deducted monthly from
your CU Savings). There’s at least £550
in prizes to be won each month, plus a bumper triple draw at Christmas, so
don’t miss out – apply today!
Hull’s wonderful news
Our home city has been gaining lots of deserved applause for
embracing its City of Culture status
so well. So it was wonderful to learn
that £27.5 million funding – including a £15 million National Heritage Lottery
grant – had been secured for a major tourism investment in Yorkshire’s Maritime
City.
The seven-year project will see the Arctic Corsair – Hull’s last
remaining trawler – move to a new berth in a dry dock on the River Hull,
alongside a visitor centre; a facelift for the Maritime Museum in Queen Victoria
Square, including public access to a rooftop dome; a new home for some of the
city’s historic maritime treasures opposite; and a refit for the Spurn
Lightship.
It’s great news that 74 jobs, 10 apprenticeships and hundreds of
volunteer roles will be created, with the 300,000 extra visitors to the city in
the first year boosting the city’s economy by over £1.4 million.
Well done to all who helped to make this happen – it’s fantastic
that the City Plan ambition of creating a world-class destination on our
doorstep is being realised.
Summer Events in our Region
Well, it’s summer at last, so let’s take
a trip around our Credit Union region and find some ideas for outdoor events
that you might like to attend:
Sat 1st - Sun 2nd July
|
Winterton Agricultural Show
|
Sun 2nd July
|
Howden Show
|
Tue 11th July 2 - 3.30pm
|
Oldfleet Primary School, Greatfield Celebration
|
Thu 13th July 2 - 3.30pm
|
Stockwell Primary School, Greatfield Celebration
|
Sat 15th July – 11 am - 3pm
|
Greatfield 60 Street Party: Meet at St Hilda's at 11am for the
parade to St Stephen’s where the 'street party' will be held.
|
Sat 15th – Sun 16th July
|
Open Gardens at Winterton
|
Wed 19th July
|
Driffield Show
|
Sat 22nd July 1 – 4 pm
|
Viking Barton Family Fun Day
|
Sat 22nd – Sun 23rd July
|
Withernsea Carnival, Steam Rally and Parade
|
Tue 1st August
|
Yorkshire Day at Sewerby Park, Bridlington – a celebration of all
things Yorkshire
|
Wed 2nd August 11 am to 3.30 pm
|
Ongo Carnival Scunthorpe
|
Fri 18th to Sun 20th August
|
Old Goole Gala
|
Summer Loans
Would some extra funds come in handy for holiday spending money,
holiday clothes or equipment? Don’t
forget we have five-star CU Loans available at competitive rates to suit all
pockets. Check out our
website today!
