We handover our blog to our sponsors, Ipswich Building Society, to find out why they’re backing Shop Suffolk and what’s so special about being a member of a mutual organisation.
We’re proud of being Suffolk’s only homegrown financial services provider and we’ve been here a long time – we were founded in 1849 and have been helping the people in our county, and beyond, to buy a home and save for the future ever since.
Supporting our local businesses and independent retailers is important to us, and vital to the region’s economy. That’s why when we heard about Shop Suffolk we wanted to be involved and help to champion the range of retailers which are on our doorstep, especially seeing as every business featured is a local organisation and not a national brand with Suffolk-based stores.
As for us, we offer simple, straightforward mortgage and savings products and our branches span the county, with presence in Halesworth, Saxmundham, Aldeburgh, Woodbridge, Ipswich town centre, Ipswich outskirts (Ravenswood), Hadleigh, Sudbury and Haverhill.
We’ve always been a mutual organisation which means we don’t have shareholders. We’re owned by our members – our customers – who are, quite simply, the savers and borrowers who trust us with some of the biggest financial decisions they’ll make. So, it’s important that we operate responsibly, transparently and prudently.
We value membership and we’re here for the long term, so our relationships are based on more than a transaction. We’re active in our local communities, too, supporting charities carrying out vital works and carrying out financial education to help increase financial literacy amongst primary and secondary school pupils plus colleges and prisons.
Of course, we’ve had to adapt how we work in the current circumstances, but one thing will never change – our commitment to the communities in which our staff and members live and work.
We’re Suffolk through and through.
If you’re interested in finding out more, call into a branch, visit our website or give us a follow on our socials – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.