I thought this would be a good time to reflect on our achievements in the past 15 months and marvel at the resilience of both Hoot members and our amazing staff. To do this I have written an achievement/gratitude list.
This is the first time I have done something like this, and I have found that it has had a positive impact on how I see myself. I found that I have been looking at all of our achievements in the complete wrong way! It is so easy to undervalue your achievements and focus on what has not gone well. Taking the positive view and giving yourself a pat on the back changes your outlook completely.
So here is my Hoot achievement/gratitude list:
We are all still here – I am so grateful that Hoot staff have all come through the last 15 months and are thriving. The last year has not been without its challenges and some staff have been severely affected by Covid-19, but here we are.
We know each other better – Believe me, maintaining 15 months of Zoom quizzes, activities, discussions at the start of everyday has not been easy; but we have spent a lot of time learning so much more about each other.
We have been able to help – As you might expect, some members have experienced financial difficulties in the last year, and when they have contacted us, we have usually been able to help in some way. That may have been about repayment holidays, top up loans or signposting to additional help. At the start of the pandemic we released tied savings across the Board to help members get used to the effects of the pandemic.
Our services have improved a lot – Most of our members now access the credit union online or via the App. Whilst we have been able to keep our branch open to help those who do not have access to digital services, or do not have a bank account; most of our services are carried out online or over the phone.
Our members are saving more – Despite releasing savings, members are saving more than ever before. Savings are up 21% on last year and we now look after £2.3m of member savings.
Lending has remained constant – Unlike many other credit unions, our lending has increased and members are coming back again and again in the knowledge that they have access to affordable lending. In 15 months we gave a total of £1.5m in loans.
We managed to get 1,379 new members – How amazing is that!
