A Fife credit union is opening…in a defunct bank.
Volunteers are now being sought for the new Kincardine money hub.
The call has gone out for people to staff a new collection point, which Kingdom Credit Union plans to open in Kincardine in May.
The Credit Union, soon to be rebranded as Kingdom Community Bank, will be one of the first tenants to move into the Coalfields Regeneration Trust’s £500,000 enterprise and training hub which is nearing completion.
Kingdom chief executive John Hendrie said: “We are delighted to be working closely with the trust to make our services, which provide an affordable and ethical alternative to the proliferation of high cost lenders, available in Kincardine.”
The new Collection Point will initially open for one morning a week in the trust’s state of the art hub, located in the former Clydesdale Bank in Kirk Street.
Mr Hendrie added: We feel it is very important to make our services as accessible as possible to existing and prospective clients.”
He added the name change would better reflect the range of services and benefits the organisation offered to a wide range of clients, many of whom can be vulnerable to organisations offering loans at eye-wateringly high interest rates.
But, he stressed: “We will still be a credit union, and always will be, so our services and commitment to providing convenient and affordable credit and savings plans will continue unaltered.”
Angela Davies, the trust’s employability and training officer said: “The hub will focus very strongly on employment related training, and helping launch new social enterprises to support those who have been adversely affected by the Longannet closure.
“The credit union will fit in well in terms of providing services to those in the community most in need.”
She and other trust members will undergo training to support volunteers.
Volunteers would complete a half day training course in the Gillespie Centre in Dunfermline on May 3.
Potential volunteers should contact Angela Davis at the trust’s office on 01592 272 127.
