JOHN’S BLOG – FEBRUARY 2018

We are only into February but there’s lots going on at HEYCU to tell you about already:

RENEWABLE ENERGY POWERS NEW PARTNERSHIP

We are celebrating our new energy efficient status after installing solar panels, LED lighting and internal insulation as part of a new partnership with Co-op Energy.

Our Brook Street headquarters in Hull city centre now boasts 22 solar panels on the roof, along with new LED office lighting and internal insulation, provided by Co-operative Energy Saving.

Each solar twin peak panel has the capacity to produce up to 265w, meaning the new installation could create nearly 5,000kWh a year, saving up to £800 per annum.

Co-operative Energy Saving aims to help combat climate change by helping individuals, community groups and small businesses to reduce their energy consumption and bills.  This fantastic initiative has made us realise that, even as a relatively small organisation, we can play an important part in tackling climate change. It is an issue that we know our member-owners are very passionate about.

Martin Cook, Affiliates Manager at Co-op Energy, said: “One of our main goals as a co-operative is to help create a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable world, and working closely with like-minded individuals, communities and organisations is an essential part of this.

“Our project with Hull & East Yorkshire Credit Union shows what can be achieved when we work collaboratively to help shape the future of energy generation.”

NOW OUR CHRISTMAS SAVER PRIZE DRAWS ARE MONTHLY!

We’re so thrilled with the big increase in Christmas Saver accounts this year that we’ve decided to have a special Prize Draw once a month to encourage members to keep on saving!

At each month end we’ll draw a winner at random from all who have paid into their Christmas Saver account during that month.  So, remember to make at least one deposit per month and then you’ll qualify to be entered in every draw.   You’ll also be very glad when Christmas comes along and you have lots of money to draw upon, for a stress-free festive season.

Our first prize winner – in January – was Gemma Smirk of Kingswood, who is the proud owner of a new food blender, to get her new year off to a healthy start. 

February’s prize will have a Valentines’ theme –maybe the winner could be YOU?

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS AT LEBUS

We were delighted to welcome eight new members at Lebus Upholstery, the furniture makers in Scunthorpe where we have a payroll partnership. Lebus workers can save and borrow with us direct from their pay, thanks to their enlightened management who offer them this fantastic staff benefit. 

Workers who use this service say they don’t miss the money, as it comes out before they get paid and goes into a savings account with us.   It’s a great way of “secret saving” for a special holiday or treat for a family member.   It’s also easy to change the amount – up or down – but many members just keep it the same year after year, building up a nice nest-egg for later in life.

Does your employer offer payroll deduction to our credit union?  If not, why not ask them to?   Employers simply contact us to find out how to operate it – and it’s really easy to administer.  If you can convince your employer to offer this benefit, we’ll reward you with £50.

CENTRE4 LAUNCH NEW SAVINGS CLUB TO HELP RESIDENTS PLAN AHEAD

Grimsby’s MP, Melanie Onn, helped us launch a new partnership for the people of North East Lincolnshire on Friday 23 February.  The Christmas Savings Club has now started at Centre4, the well-used community hub at Wootton Road, Grimsby.

Local residents will be able to pop into Centre4 to deposit small amounts of cash at a convenient time, giving them access to our credit union as a welcome alternative to payday loans, doorstep lenders and even illegal money lenders operating across North East Lincolnshire.

Linda Dellow, Chief Officer at Centre4 said, “We are delighted to offer a Christmas Savings Club from Centre4. We fully understand the financial pressures facing some people and how difficult it can be to budget from week to week, never mind keeping money back for Christmas. A Christmas Savings Club can help people put small amounts of money away on a regular basis and give them access to a savings fund at what is always an expensive time of year”.

For a limited time, a £10 bonus is available to anyone opening an account. The Christmas Savings bonus is provided by the Stop Loan Sharks project as a further incentive for people to develop a savings habit and keep away from high cost, high risk lending.  It is funded using proceeds of crime money; cash that has been seized from loan sharks under money laundering laws.

Tony Quigley, Head of the Illegal Money Lending Team, said:
“We’re pleased to be working with Centre4 and Northern Lincolnshire Credit Union to launch this new incentive, which will see loan sharks’ cash being put to good use, to sponsor new Christmas savings accounts.  Loan sharks prey on the most vulnerable members of our communities and extort them out of hard earned cash. If you have fallen victim to an illegal money lender, we urge you to contact us on 0300 555 2222 or www.stoploansharks.uk. We will take information anonymously and in confidence.”

HORNSEA WANTS A CREDIT UNION

I took a call from Councillor John Whittle of Hornsea in East Yorkshire the other day.  His enquiry was an all too familiar one these days, sadly.  The town of Hornsea (population 8.000+) is losing its last High Street bank in May.   After that, residents won’t have a local bank to pop into.   He asked whether the Credit Union could consider providing a service in the town.

Without funding, we would struggle to provide a high street banking presence in a town like Hornsea, but if we some enthusiastic volunteers came forward, maybe we could set up a weekly contact point, similar to those we operate in Driffield, Withernsea, Beverley, Howden and a few other places.   At least local residents would have somewhere to deposit savings and apply for affordable loans with a reputable organisation that cares for the local community – because we are owned by our members and exist solely to serve them, rather than make profits for City shareholders and bonuses for Fat Cat managers who I don’t suppose even know where Hornsea is.

Anyway, I’ve accepted an invitation to speak at Hornsea Town Council meeting on 5 March, so we’ll see what happens after that.  No promises, of course. 

SCHOOL BANK NEWS

Recently my staff colleague Jamie-Leigh issued our Spring-term Pennies 2 Pounds Newsletter to the schools where we have a volunteer run school bank.   She reminded everyone that mums, dads, uncles, aunties, grandparents and younger or older siblings can all save at the school bank, not just pupils.  It’s a popular way to get the whole family into the habit of regular saving so that money is available for Christmas, holidays, school trips, kit and uniform, birthday treats and so on.   Staff at most of our schools can also pay into the Credit Union direct from their salary.

The newsletter offers volunteers some useful tips for spreading the word about a school bank:

·        Ask about mentioning your school bank on the school’s website.  Some do this already but others don’t, probably because no one has suggested it.  It’s a good way to let the parents and wider community know when the school bank runs.  

·        Does the school produce a parents’ Newsletter? If so, perhaps they could include a short article about the school bank.

·        Hand out a flyer with an application form at the school gate (with head teacher’s permission).

·        Ask about sending flyers out with the children’s book bags.

·        Could someone offer to present an assembly in school, talking about the benefits of saving and looking after money, with some fun activities, music and rhymes?

We’re thrilled that Archie of Boothferry Primary School is our first P2P Saver to be awarded a Super Saver Certificate and P2P lunch bag.   He has saved with us regularly since the school bank opened in 2013 and reached an amazing personal savings target.

GOOLE & DISTRICT LOCAL MEMBERS’ GROUP

Our second meeting was held at The Courtyard, Goole on 31 January.  It was well-supported and we welcomed two new members.   The Know Your Credit Union Quiz was great fun and members were amazed to learn that since we were formed in 1999, our Credit Union reckons to have saved the people of Hull and East Yorkshire over £13 million by providing loans cheaper than doorstep lenders.   Jean Taylor and Janet Sowden won prizes for the most correct answers.

We discussed lots of ideas for improving the Pasture Road Credit Union branch, at modest cost.  We already have a play table to keep the little ones amused while parents make their transactions, and there are exciting plans to freshen up the décor, make better use of the back room and install a new sign.  We’re grateful to members of the Group for their suggestions and offers of help.

Since the meeting Councillor Pat O’Neil came to spend a day in branch with Jo and it was a great pleasure to have her company.  Pat was amazed at the variety of ways in which we try to help the people of Goole to make the best use of their money.   We have recently started to promote our partnership with Co-op Electrical, which lets members obtain domestic appliances much cheaper than certain weekly payment stores.  And they give a choice of delivery times!

VISITS TO DWP OFFICES

I’ve planned some visits to DWP sites over the next two months, to recruit more members, meet our Workplace Champions and say hello to existing members across the wide area we serve.  On 13-14 March I’ll be at Glasgow, Paisley and Motherwell.   April sees visits to Stockton-on-Tees, and possibly Seaham in the North-East, and also some offices in West Yorkshire. 

It was fascinating to learn that we were featured in a question in Parliament, when it was revealed that the three credit unions serving DWP staff (CommSave, Voyager Alliance and HEYCU) had enrolled 3,800 DWP members and provided them with loans of £4 million since July 2016.

A busy few weeks lies ahead, as we will also be launching a new payroll partnership to provide our popular savings and loans service to the staff of North East Lincolnshire Council. 

HULL’S HEADSCARF REVOLUTIONARIES

Did you see the BBC4 documentary about the group of Hull women who, 50 years ago, fought for decent health and safety at sea after 58 men lost their lives in the Triple Trawler Tragedy of 1968?

Deep sea fishing was the city’s most dangerous industry, with frequent loss of life, and many thought that nothing could be done about it.  Not so, “Big Lil” Bilocca and her friends, whose determined and ultimately successful campaign to stop unsafe trawlers from going to sea, in the face of stiff opposition from owners and sometimes the menfolk themselves, earned them the title “Headscarf Revolutionaries”.   It’s another example of the “power of the people” that makes us so proud of our home city. 

CHILD BENEFIT LOAN & SAVINGS PLAN

This is rapidly becoming one of our most popular products, with several hundred families now regularly having their Child Benefit paid into the Credit Union.   It’s a really simple and sensible way of combining saving and borrowing to make the most of your money.   A loan of £500 over a year costs just £12 a week, which means that someone receiving Child Benefit of £21, could save up to £470 a year just by leaving it in to mount up, say for use at Christmas.  Find out more.

JOHN’S BLOG – OCTOBER 2017

We’re having an exciting time here at HEYCU. With “year-end” behind us and the accounts all safely away to the auditors, we are now into our busy autumn season and there’s lots going on:

LET’S TELL THE WORLD … ABOUT CREDIT UNIONS

On Thursday 19^th October it’s International Credit Union Day, when we celebrate the achievements of credit unions all around the world and the positive way they help people to afford their lives.  You can find out more about the worldwide credit union movement here. 

Bearing in mind that our friends at Hull City of Culture 2017 have adopted a “Tell the World” theme for their final quarter’s activities, we thought we would do similar and Tell the World about Credit Unions throughout the week 15^th to 21^st October.   Each day we will post an interesting fact about credit unions on Facebook and Twitter - watch out for these, like, retweet and help us to spread the word.

If you’re popping into our branches during the week, there may be some treats and a quick quiz or prize draw to take part in too!

WE’RE OPENING ON THE NEXT FIVE SATURDAYS

As a service to members to help them to apply for loans for Christmas and other purposes, we’ll be opening our Brook Street branch in Hull City Centre for the next five Saturdays from 10 am to 1 pm.  Our friendly team will be there to greet anyone who pops in to find out more about what we do, how to join, what services we offer, obtain free quotations and apply for loans.  We won’t be operating a cash withdrawal service on Saturdays, but that will free us up to spend more time with people who call in to enquire. 

Saturday openings will be on 21 and 28 October, 4, 11 and 18 November.

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR NEW SHOPPING BAGS? 

Members love our new jute shopping bags!  They hold a lot of shopping and are very comfortable to hold.  You could be the proud owner of one of our lovely bags.   All you have to do is refer a friend to become a Credit Union Member and when they start saving with us, or receive a CU Loan, we’ll give them and you a free bag and enter you both in a prize draw to win a £50 Christmas Hamper.

With Christmas on the way, it’s an ideal time to encourage a friend, family member or work colleague to sign up – let’s get recruiting!

DITCH THE DOORSTEP LENDER

Given the acute problems that people have experienced with one doorstep lender in particular this year, and the huge cost suffered by people using them, isn’t it time to urge everyone to Ditch the Doorstep Lender and come to the CU instead?  Head over to our website to read some interesting facts comparing doorstep lenders and credit unions!   

 

BBC PROGRAMMES – A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEBT

Have you seen the programmes on the BBC called “A Matter of Life of Debt”?   They are on BBC1 on weekdays at 11 am or BBC2 at 7.15 am the next day or on iPlayer.  They reveal some fascinating and heartwarming stories of people who have received ethical loans, and the role that credit unions play for all walks of life.  In one example, a credit union member had received a low-cost loan which he had used to refurbish an ice cream van to enable him to start a new venture.  It was “ice creams all round” in his community on the day his dream was realised!   Our staff team are reporting a huge boost in the number of enquiries coming in by phone and email since the series began, and there are many more to come.  

MORE POWER TO US!

It is exciting to announce that we are now generating our own electricity here at HEYCU headquarters!   We’ve worked with our energy partners, Co-op Energy, to plan and install a set of solar panels on the flat roof at Brook Street, which is both an investment in the future (keeping our energy costs down for the benefit of all members) and a statement of our desire to develop practices friendly to the environment.

NEW MEMBERS’ GROUP – TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

We are thrilled that our new Goole & District Member’s Group had a great launch in September.  Members came from Howden, Snaith and Gilberdyke as well as Goole for the first meeting, held at the Lowther Hotel.  A Know your Credit Union quiz, devised by Steve Verity, got us off to a fun start, and was won by Pat O’Neil.  I explained about various credit union services members might have been unaware of, and we discussed how we can spread the word about HEYCU.  Leaflet campaigns and a presence in the Market were just some ideas put forward.  We rounded off the evening by cutting a specially decorated cake to celebrate Goole branch’s 8^th anniversary, and everyone went home with one of our stylish CU shopping bags!   The Group agreed to meet again on a Wednesday just before Easter 2018 – all members in DN14, HU15 and YO8 postcode areas are most welcome.

On another September evening I was invited to address the members of Goole Town Council.  I presented a summary of all that we had achieved since our Pasture Road branch opened in September 2009 – quite a list - and Councillors asked me various questions.  A full report appeared in the Goole Times.  I was delighted to learn that, since our Credit Union brought fair and affordable loans to Goole, the number of loan sharks operating there had fallen dramatically.  If anyone knows of illegal lenders, they should call the confidential help line 0300 555 2222, email stoploansharks.co.uk or text 07860 022116.

MEETING HULL BID

I had a very useful and interesting meeting with the City Centre Manager at Hull BID the other day.  Kathryn and her team at Hull BID are doing a fantastic job of promoting Hull city centre as an up-and-coming destination and looking after people, like us, who trade from premises in the area.  Did you realise that, if you are a Credit Union Member, you are a property owner in Hull city centre?

BOARD MEETING SUMMARY

We’ve decided to publish a quick summary of the business conducted at our monthly Board meetings.  We’ll be starting this very soon and the summaries will appear on our website (Governance page).  Of course the summary won’t disclose the few items that, for various reasons, must remain confidential.  But, as we are a co-operative organisation owned by our members we felt that this would help members to understand what the elected directors actually do, the kind of topics that they come together to discuss, and perhaps interest other members in standing for election as one of our volunteer directors.   We’ll be inviting nominations very soon – so how would you like to be a director of your credit union?

Members – pop this date in your Diary – your AGM will be held on Tuesday 11^th December in Hull Guildhall at 5.45 pm.  More on this next time!

JOHN’S BLOG – 23 DEC 2016

After a long “silence”, I am now able to resume my Blog, which throughout 2017 aims to keep you informed on what’s new and what’s happening at Hull & East Yorkshire Credit Union (HEYCU).   Keep checking in for regular updates, visit our Facebook page and Twitter feeds and join in the conversation!

REFLECTIONS ON 2016

For our Credit Union 2016 was not the easiest of years, but we did have some notable successes, as the directors and I were able to report to our well-attended AGM in Hull Guildhall recently. 

We were proud to be selected, alongside our friends at Commsave and Voyager Alliance Credit Unions, to serve the staff of the Department for Work & Pensions, a major civil service department.   Although the scheme has only been running since July, over 2,100 DWP staff have already joined one of the three credit unions.

At HEYCU it’s been our pleasure to welcome over 600 new members who work in Government offices and Job Centres across Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland.  All are saving with us every month direct from their pay, and we’ve been able to help some afford Christmas with our competitive loan deals. 

In 2016 we also rolled out a new affiliation with Co-operative Energy.  Many of our members (me included) are saving up to £250 a year after switching their gas and electricity to this leading ethical utility provider.  When you switch to the Co-op you can become a member (just like the credit union) and can access lots of other member benefits too.  You can have your say and vote as a part-owner of the business.   It’s the way lots of other services ought to be run – railways and buses for example – with real consumer power!

We’ve made a good start with our Development Plan to expand across Northern Lincolnshire.   North Lindsey College and Lebus Upholstery became payroll partners, and at Ongo Homes we have a group of staff called Credit Union Champions helping to promote us to their tenants and staff colleagues.  They are really keen.  We also opened two new school banks in Winterton, where we are working with the Winterton 2022 Project.

It was sad to hear that the small Grimsby-based North East Lincolnshire Credit Union had closed down.  Its 600 members were paid back all their savings by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.  However, it is good to know that we have been able to help some of their members to find an alternative by joining our branch in Scunthorpe High Street.

You can read more about our busy year in our Annual Newsletter.

DON’T BE CAUGHT OUT BY A “DIDDLUM”

Did you read about the workers at a West Hull factory whose Christmas was spoilt because a colleague had allegedly run off with their “diddlum” money?   Over £10,000 was taken, apparently, from around 16 people.

Sad tales like this seem to crop up year after year.  They are especially cruel because the people are doing the right thing – planning ahead and saving up, little and often, all year round to help them avoid money stress when the festive spending season arrives.

These informal Christmas savings clubs, often called “diddlums” in this part of the world, have long been part of the local heritage.   It’s where a set of workmates, neighbours or club members all trust their savings to someone willing to keep the records, look after and bank the cash, and organise the big Christmas payout. 

Mostly everything turns out fine but it’s that key word “trust” that can catch you out.  If the worst happens, “diddlum” savers have no redress, because these savings clubs rely entirely on trust and have no legal backing.

There are alternatives.  HEYCU runs a popular Christmas Saver account, which is easy to join.  Money can be paid in at a branch, or by bank standing order, or even direct from your pay if you work for one of our payroll partners.  There’s no minimum deposit, and the money is safely “locked away” until November.  It is paid out either in cash or by bank transfer, so you can shop around for bargains, not be tied to one shop as you would be with savings stamps.   The money is 100% protected just like in a bank.  Check it out at (link to Christmas Saver page)

Christmas is always an expensive time.   Saving ahead in a reputable scheme is the best way to make it as stress free as possible.

SEE US IN ST. STEPHENS IN THE NEW YEAR

We are one of several local organisations taking part in a Community Roadshow in St Stephen’s Shopping Centre from Monday 2^nd to Sunday 8^th January, 2017.

Shoppers passing through the Centre on their way to the January Sales won’t be able to miss us, as there will be a big screen, positioned near H&M and Next, on which we shall be showcasing our new 40 second promotional video.  The aim is to tell the wider world what our Credit Union is and does, and encourage people to pop into to our Central Office in Brook Street (which happens to be just across the road) to meet our friendly team.

We shall be handing out leaflets about our services, and inviting people to complete a quick Quiz which they can drop in a box to be in with a chance to win a £50 Shopping Voucher.

If you are in the city centre during the first week in January, do come inside St. Stephen’s and say hello.  

SAY NO TO LOAN SHARKS

Starting on 9^th January at Boothferry Primary School in Goole, we are working with the England Illegal Money Lending Team to encourage local families to start saving as their new year’s resolution instead of borrowing from illegal money lenders.  Pupils at the school will receive a visit from Sid the Shark and be involved in some fun activities to raise awareness of good money practice.

Working with East Riding of Yorkshire’s Trading Standards, and using proceeds of crime money (confiscated from convicted loan sharks), the Team are also sponsoring new Credit Union accounts.

The first fifty people to join our Credit Union at the schools visited from 9th January to 1^st March and save for two months will qualify for a savings boost of £25.00.

It is estimated that 310,000 households nationally are borrowing from illegal money lenders, many of whom charge exorbitant rates of interest to trap people into a spiral of debt.  Loan sharks often resort to bully tactics such as violence, threats or intimidation to make their victims repay.

People are urged never to use unlicensed lenders who:

·         refuse to tell the borrower how much they owe, how long they will be repaying for, or the APR;

·         don’t give paperwork;

·         add on extra charges which increase the debt; or

·         take items such as passports, bank cards or driving licences as “security”.

If you know of anyone operating in this way, you can call the 24/7 confidential hotline 0300 555 2222, text a report to 078600 22116 or email reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk

WELCOME TO HULL’S SPECIAL YEAR AS UK CITY OF CULTURE

After all the frantic planning, it’s nearly here.  The year when our City comes under the spotlight as the nation’s City of Culture.   There is so much to look forward to, and already we can see how things are changing for the better, as the huge repaving scheme for the city centre streets approaches its conclusion.  It is starting to look fantastic (my only tiny niggle is that I wish they had renewed the dreadful uneven pavement outside our Brook Street branch.  But never mind!).

Here at HEYCU we’d like to congratulate everyone who has been involved with the city centre transformation on doing such a splendid job.  We can’t wait to invite our credit union friends from the UK and beyond to come and have a look round our wonderful City!