We’re pleased to announce we’re currently trialling extended opening hours at our Aldeburgh branch – on weekdays the branch will now open until the later time of 3pm. The trial will be for a six month period, which if proven to be successful, may lead to us making the change permanent.
This follows demand from our members after the decision by Barclays to withdraw from the high street, leaving the Society as the only financial services provider left in the town. Aldeburgh joins a growing list of towns across Suffolk with no high street banks including nearby Halesworth and Bungay, leaving many local residents feeling isolated – especially those who don’t have access to online banking.
Aldeburgh is one of our oldest branches, having first opened in 1983 as the Society began to expand its branch network beyond Ipswich. We feel a real responsibility to provide not just for our members in the town, but also for the wider community which has been hit hard by successive waves of high street bank closures.
Our Aldeburgh branch has recently celebrated success, hosting a hugely popular Christmas wreath workshop event at the nearby Cragg sisters tearoom and participating in Suffolk Day celebrations last year. In March, a new group of Society members will return to Aldeburgh for a visit to The Red House, home of the renowned British composer, Benjamin Britten, as part of our popular series of member events.
Richard Norrington, our CEO, said:
“We’ve had a number of recent enquiries from prospective members looking for a safe place for their savings and we’re always looking for ways to improve the service we provide for our existing account holders. I am delighted that we are able to extend our opening hours on this trial basis with a view to making it permanent, should there be sufficient demand.”
