ONE of Scotland’s largest credit unions, Scotwest, is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Scotwest Credit Union, which employs 30 members of staff, first opened back in 1991 with a single employee.
Set up initially to offer credit union facilities to the employees of Strathclyde Regional Council, Scotwest has gone from strength to strength and now, 20 years later, works with over 80 organisations throughout the West of Scotland, all of whom offer the credit union as part of their employee benefits package.
Scotwest now serves over 25,000 members including over 1,000 who have been supporting and using the services on offer since its very first year in operation.
In the space of the last ten years alone, Scotwest has seen its assets more than double from £16m in 2001 to over £40m today.
Services on offer have developed to include current accounts and mortgages in addition to the core saving and loan products, however, despite this growth, the credit union’s unwavering commitment to its members and member service remains strong.
To help celebrate 20 years of serving its members and to reward them for their commitment, Scotwest recently launched its ‘Making a Difference Fund’.
This inaugural fund offers members the opportunity to nominate small community events, projects, groups and activities in their own local area which they have an interest in, to receive a grant.
The first payments are being made this month, and will see money being awarded to a number of worthwhile local projects ranging from gardening to football, to supporting a local lunch club with a day trip for its elderly and disabled members.
Rod Ashley, chief executive of Scotwest Credit Union, said: “It is a real testament to the high levels of personal service that we provide that Scotwest has been growing steadily for 20 years.
“We would like to thank our staff, volunteers and especially our members for their commitment over the years.
“We look forward to serving them in the future, keeping them at the heart of what we do.
“Today’s market is tough, with people facing greater financial challenges than ever before and with a rise in the number of high-cost lenders, consumers need to be even more careful with their money. At Scotwest, we are keen to show people that it is possible to get your finances in shape with even small changes making a difference.
“Scotwest has grown significantly over the years and we look forward to welcoming new members and to developing additional services which will allow us to continue our mission to provide safe, competitive and fair financial services to everyone living in the West of Scotland.”
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