A computer simulation of a new building society branch that will be opening soon in a Northumberland town is set to go on show, along with details of the services that will be coming to town.
Earlier this year, Newcastle Building Society and the Glendale Gateway Trust announced plans for a new partnership which would see a community branch being established in the Cheviot Centre community hub on Padgepool Place in Wooler.
Since then, the designs for the new branch have been finalised – and now, a CGI fly-through is set to reveal to local people exactly how it will look when it opens in December.
The CGI display forms part of an information stand that will be in place at the Cheviot Centre from Thursday 7 November, while preparatory development work is now under way on the new branch.
On the 7 and 8 November, the Cheviot Centre will also see Newcastle Building Society colleagues hosting “Get to Know the Society” sessions, which will help answer any questions locals may have.
The project has been developed as part of a wider Society strategy for creating a step change in how it delivers its services to towns and communities.
It is more than two thirds of the way through an ambitious branch improvement programme which will see work on new or improved facilities in every part of its existing branch network and new branches being opened in a number of locations across the North East and North Yorkshire.
Part of the programme involves re-imagining its locations and adapting its approach to suit local needs, while increasing its branch network at a time when many banks and building societies are reducing their High Street presence.
The Glendale Gateway Trust is a community development trust set up to support one of the most sparsely populated areas of the country, and its Cheviot Centre community hub already offer tourist information services, a library and community meeting spaces.
Stuart Miller, customer director at Newcastle Building Society, said: “The response to the announcement of our plans to invest in Wooler has been extremely positive, and as part of moving the new branch forward, we wanted to give local people a detailed idea of what’s coming their way in just a few weeks’ time.
“We’re working closely with the Glendale Gateway Trust to deliver face-to-face local financial services and financial advice to the benefit of Wooler as part of a wider Society strategy that focuses on growing a bright and sustainable future hand in hand with people in communities across the North East, North Yorkshire and Cumbria.
“People in Wooler has been without local access to banking services for more than a year, and we’re excited to be rectifying this situation by investing in their community.”