The green creature stole two sandwiches from legendary Bolton bakery Carrs before taking off for a celebratory dance outside local disco venue Bamboogy. Carrs Manager Joanne Sumner said: “He ran in and pinched two sandwiches!”
Not content with sandwiches alone, the green-meanie soon graduated to running away with a family’s baby from Market Place Shopping Centre – pushchair and all. Thankfully, these acts of Christmas were not an attempt to put a dampener on the festive period, but rather a marketing push from Bolton financial service Hoot Credit Union and their business degree apprentice James O’Toole.
Ms Sumner said: “They asked us to do it and we thought why not – a bit of Christmas spirit’s good for morale.
“He did bring them back!”
As well as the Grinch antics, Hoot Credit Union have been leaving secret gifts around Bolton for the public to find, which Hoot members can cash in at Hoot Credit Union cash desk for £10 savings.
Non-members can sign up to Hoot Credit Union to receive the money.
Mr O’Toole said: “I just wanted to spread some Christmas Joy across Bolton in a fun way that would interest the local people.”
“I had like 30 people or so come up to me asking for pictures and a few even were saying thankyou for spreading happiness around our local area as well which was great.”
Hoot Credit Union is a co-operative, community business offering ethical and affordable loans and savings to the people of Bolton and Bury.
As we come to the end of another year, we want to thank all our members, partners and supporters for being part of Hoot Credit Union. Your trust and loyalty help us continue our mission of supporting our community with fair, affordable financial services.
From everyone here at Hoot, we wish you a warm, peaceful and joyful Christmas, and a positive start to the New Year.
During the festive period, our opening hours will change slightly to ensure our team can enjoy time with their families while still providing support where you need it. Please take a moment to check when our branch and online/phone services will be available.
Christmas & New Year Opening Hours
(23 December – 2 January)
Please also check with your salary or benefit provider for payment dates over the festive period, as these may differ from usual.
Even when our branch is closed, members can still:
Check balances
Apply for loans
Manage savings
Send secure messages
Access their account via the Hoot App or online portal
This is the quickest way to manage your money during the festive period.
Need Help? We’re Still Here
If you need support, advice or have a question about your account, please get in touch when our online or phone services are open. We’re here to help you navigate the end of the year smoothly and confidently.
Warm Wishes from All of Us at Hoot
Thank you for being part of our credit union community. We are proud to serve you and look forward to supporting you with your savings, loans and financial well-being in 2025.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!
On Thursday the 27th November Chris, Catherine and James attended the celebration of Social Enterprise in Bolton at the Friends meeting house.
At the event we educated the public about Hoot and what we do for our Community. We ran a Christmas Chocolate hamper raffle at the event which was won by Jamila from Talkchanges! James filmed some would you rather questions all about finance and savings. Here is one of the videos on our TikTok.
We’re excited to announce that Hoot Credit Union have officially joined TikTok!
We are always looking for new ways to connect with our members, TikTok gives us a fun and creative space to share updates, answer questions, and give you a behind the scenes on what is going on at Hoot.
Our TikTok channel isn’t just about finance — it’s about people. Here’s what you can expect when you follow us:
Fun Content – A bit of humor, a bit of Hoot-style fun, and a whole lot of personality
Team Spotlights – Get to know the friendly faces behind Hoot!
Event Updates – See what we’re up to in the community
Helpful Tips – From budgeting to saving, we’ll share quick and simple tips to help you manage your money
Follow Us and Join the Fun
We’re just getting started, and we’d love to have you along for the ride. Whether you’re a long-time member or new to Hoot, our TikTok is a great way to stay connected and see the heart of our credit union in action.
In our last survey, 48% of our members said that they had nowhere else to go for credit, had we not been able to give them a loan. Most of our borrowers tell us that finding affordable credit is hard, and being able to access loans from us has been a life-saver.
If you are someone on a low income, or not much history of borrowing before, affordable loans can be hard to find. As can finding a loan for less than £1,000. Even if you are able to access credit cards or overdrafts, borrowing that way can be expensive.
Maybe buy now pay later (Pay in 3 deals) are the answer? Well not if you become heavily reliant on using this way of paying for things. You can soon find yourself with the problem of having to find several repayments in one month, leaving you back where you started in terms of things becoming unaffordable.
The average credit card interest in April this year was 24.7% – with many credit cards charging as high as 40%. And the average overdraft was 38%.
You can be sure that when you borrow from Hoot that:
The rate you are quoted is the rate you will get. Our rates are transparent and are madeclear when you apply. There are no ‘teaser’ rates with Hoot.
Like for like we are cheaper than most other lenders – especially if you are someone with a poor to fair credit score.
Affordability is our focus. We don’t always do a credit check, but we always check your affordability. All our loan applications are assessed by a human, and your individual circumstances are taken into account.
We help you to save – not just save on loan interest – but our Save as You Borrow scheme means a proportion of your repayment is allocated to a savings account, reducing the need to borrow in the future. Many people find this an easier way to start saving money, while still being able to pay for things like a holiday with the loan.
You become part of something. Hoot is a community owned co-operative, so everyone who aves and borrows has a stake in our success.
We know we can’t help everyone; and if we can’t we will always point you towards information on how to get help with your finances. But those we can help become loyal savers and borrowers, and say that they are happy to recommend us to family and friends.
