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We give loans for electric bikes

Today, Churches Mutual, the UK’s foremost ecumenical enterprise, representing seven denominations in England, Scotland and Wales, is pleased to announce the launch of a new visual identity and website.

Customer Satisfaction Survey

We are pleased to share the feedback from our recent customer satisfaction survey, based on responses from 105 members.

Churches Mutual launches a new brand and website to boost growth

A Model Employer

Bournville is perhaps the most recognisable (if only by name) Birmingham location after Spaghetti Junction and Villa Park, probably due to its association with chocolate.

What do you own that brings you joy?

I am sure that it is no co-incidence that Marie Kondo’s popularity escalated at the same time as the pandemic made us all prisoners in our own, possibly over cluttered homes.

Car Loans

Buying a new car is always an event, whether it is a brand-new car with three miles on the clock, or a ‘new to you’ with a previous owner that was, you hope, every bit as careful as the dealer promised.

A Long Way from home

One of the unexpected benefits of Church of England’s Daily Prayer App is an increased familiarity with lesser festivals and commemorations.

Not waving but drowning

Did you know that in the frigid waters surrounding Britain 55% of drownings occur within 10 feet of safety? Perhaps more surprising is that 66% of those who die through drowning would be considered good swimmers.

Join us for our Annual General Meeting on Friday 27th January 2023 and have your say. The AGM is open to members and is a chance to find out more about your credit union, what we have been up to in the past year and what we’ll be working on during the new year.

Annual Meeting of Members 2023

The Five Thousand Pound Coffee Cup

This isn’t the story of the latest discovery on the Antiques Roadshow where a vaguely cup shaped item that was bought at a jumble sale for 25p in 1972 or was given to ‘nana’ by an oriental gentleman sometime back in the 1930s turns out to be genuine Qing dynasty and gets the startled owner

Work Not Worry

26% of working age adults in the UK have no savings and 29% have less than £1000. Credit Unions turn borrowers into savers. Over 70% continue saving regularly after repaying a loan. Employers have been working with credit unions for over 30 years to offer payroll savings and loans to their employees.

Fairtrade Finance?

I have just finished reading one of last year’s Christmas presents, a bestselling book, at least in church circles, by a former journalist in pursuit of fatherhood with both a lower and upper case F. I did enjoy the book, probably for all the wrong reasons but I was a little surprised that he considered

Overdraft? Under control?

Back in 2011 I was interviewed for a local paper for a piece on affordable credit. It was around the time when community credit unions were becoming more widely known about and it seemed a good way to promote the services we offered.

The Little Red Book

I was stocking up on stationery a couple of weeks ago when I was side-tracked by a display of familiar little red books. No, not the Little Red Book (or, to give its full title, Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong) which has somewhat surprisingly managed to get a name check in the Chancellor’s autumn statement

Bias to the Poor (Part 3)

Christians have been involved with credit unions since they first reached these shores. North Birmingham had strong links with Catholic, Baptist, Methodist and Anglican churches through hosting collection points and providing volunteers. But in many ways it fell into the category of mission or outreach, part of what we could call the Church’s ‘bias to

Bias to the Poor (part 2)

The Social Security Act 1986 introduced the Social Fund; whereas before, under the old ‘single payments’ system individuals in need had been able to apply for grants for furniture and a vast array of other items, these were now replaced by Budgeting Loans.

Bias to the Poor (part 1)

It came as something of a surprise to me when I realised late last year that I had managed to clock up twenty-five years as a member of a credit union. Doesn’t time fly when you are having fun?

If you see Sid...

December 1986 – Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise made the Voyage Home; Den and Angie were enjoying a short lived second honeymoon at the Queen Vic; Mel and Kim were getting set for the weekend while The Bangles walked liked an Egyptian, but the people of Britain had only one thing

An End to Commuting?

“To think when I was first ordained I thought one of the perks was no longer having to commute” one member told us last week. He went on to outline a particularly busy day which involved, amongst other things, an assembly, two meetings, two funeral visits, two services, one wedding rehearsal and nearly 100 miles

How to Blow your Credit Rating without Borrowing a Penny

The internet thinks I’m interested in a loan. I have to say that it is not entirely the internet’s fault; I do spend an inordinate amount of time on my computer searching for loans and loan related sites, it is something of an occupational hazard. So advertisements for loans from a variety of companies constantly

How to clear your overdraft for £1.50 a day

Eight years ago this month I was facing redundancy as the organisation I worked for had lost its funding and called in the receivers. Unlike many people in a similar situation I was fortunate, a rescue package was put together and I and most of my colleagues were TUPEd to a new firm. No complaints