It’s hard to believe that it has been three months since the effects of lockdown started to bite.

Here at Hoot we are still busy supporting members and welcoming new members with both savings accounts and loans.

Many members have moved to online services and manage their account via the member area or the App, but we have managed to keep our branch open throughout the crisis. We have been putting into place new options for the small number of members who struggle to access us online and you should be hearing about some of those soon.

We still have some staff working from home, but that does not mean we have reduced our customer service options and we continue to take membership and loan applications. We are also looking at what our service options will look like post-Covid and exploring new ways that our members can reap the benefits of Hoot membership.

What about the next three months?

We don’t anticipate that our services will change in the immediate future and we will continue to support members with particular access needs as much as we can.

Time to start saving

Dare I say it, but only six months to Christmas so, now is the time to think about building up your savings pot. Whether it’s school uniforms, Christmas or the long awaited holiday next year, it’s think about the big ticket items in the next twelve months and work out what you can afford to save to help meet the costs.

Contact us via the App or at [email protected] and let us know how much you want to save and we will help you to achieve your goal.

30 years of credit unions in Bolton

July marks a huge milestone as credit unions will have been around in Bolton since 1990. Starting in Johnson Fold, then opening other credit unions in places like Breightmet, Hoot Credit Union has 5,500 members with savings of almost £1.8m.

Our plans for celebration have been curtailed because of the pandemic, but we will still mark the occasion in July with online activities and social media. Keep an eye out for this on Facebook www.facebook.com/hootcu , Instagram hootcreditunion or Twitter @hootcreditunion.

If you want to know how credit unions are about people helping people take a look at our FAQs

We will continue to support our members and hope you will continue to support us in providing affordable and ethical financial services.