Rishi has praised the work of a community support team which has brought new banking facilities to Catterick Garrison and Colburn.
The MP said Colburn Community Support’s initiative in helping to bring a Darlington Credit Union hub to Catterick would make a real difference.
The hub is now open every Thursday between 10am and 1pm offering a range of savings, loans and current account services. It operates on a not-for-profit, co-operative basis with members holding a stake in the business.
Rishi met Debbie Marwood, a recent credit union customer who had set up an account on behalf of Colburn Community Primary School PTFA to deposit money generated by their fundraising events.
He said: “It is great to see this new service already being used by people in Colburn and Catterick like Debbie who needed a bank account for her community group.
“It is important that everyone has access to financial services to enable them to develop good habits with their money, including regular savings.
“Having a range of banking services like the one being provided here are invaluable, and I want to thank everyone involved in making this happen, especially Simon and Jo-Anne Eastwood of Colburn Community Support.”
Following his visit to the library, he joined Mr and Mrs Eastwood in loading their community vehicle with surplus food destined for the Colburn Hub and Foodshare Project. They explained that the van was used to collect surplus food from various places around the district, including the Aldi supermarket on the Garrison.
It is just of a number of support activities, working in partnership with other community organisations, delivered by Colburn Community Support.
These include hospital transport, sourcing secondhand white goods and furniture and assisting with providing accessibility equipment. Pastoral support, including for those who have suffered bereavement, admin support, such as assistance with CV writing, and financial planning advice is also provided.
