DIFFERENT JOURNEYS
See for yourself how your savings
help our borrowers deliver a different world
In 2008, we provided an opportunity for all our depositors to see for themselves how their savings are helping our borrowers deliver a different world, as part of our commitment to transparency.
Under the Different Journeys banner, we took some of our depositors on a series of one-day visits to borrowers we work with, visiting 14 charities and social enterprises across the South East, Yorkshire, London, the South West and Scotland during the autumn..
It gave our depositors the chance to hear more about the impact these organisations are making through their work, meet the staff and the beneficiaries, and see the tangible benefits that their deposit is bringing to the community.
Anthony Hepburn from Hailsham in Kent, who has been a depositor for five years and who attended the South East Different Journeys tour , said the day had given him a real insight into charity work.
Says Mr Hepburn: “It was really rewarding to see how my savings are supporting charities like the ones we’ve visited today. It’s satisfying to know that just by putting some money in a savings account, I am making a difference to people in my local community.”
The Different Journeys tour will continue in 2009, so if you are interested in coming along, please call on 01732 774040 or email info@charitybank.org.
South East England
The tour began at Headway’s Tunbridge Wells and District office. The organisation provides a day centre and support services for people with brain injuries. It had approached Charity Bank in 2006 for a £300,000 loan towards the cost of buying the property in which it is now based, in Culverden Park Road, Tunbridge Wells.
Next stop was Oxted Community Hall in South East Surrey. The town had lacked a suitable community facility that could be hired for large meetings and social events, or to host health and community groups. The Parochial Church Council of St Mary’s, which wanted to provide this space, approached Charity Bank for a £75,000 loan to assist with its development costs.
Yorkshire
The depositors in Yorkshire visited two local organisations on their Different Journey Day. First stop was Ripon Council for Voluntary Services which supports voluntary activity in the local area, such as the provision of Meals on Wheels to outlying districts. It borrowed £200,000 towards the cost of buying the former workhouse in Ripon and converting it into a community building. Completed in 2006, it now houses a number of other charities, as well as providing a community café, crèche services and access to IT services.
They then moved on for lunch at the Lighthouse Group, an educational charity based in Bradford that helps young people excluded from school develop learning skills leading to qualifications and a bright future. Starting life as a drop in-centre operating out of a community diner, it initially borrowed £85,000 from Charity Bank to purchase a bigger property.
It has since grown into a national charity and recently moved into a £4.5 million purpose-built facility on the outskirts of Bradford, thanks in part to a further loan from Charity Bank, which has lent them £750,000 in total.
London
The first stop on the tour was the Young People’s Project in Ilford, which provides education and support for teenage parents including training for work, crèche facilities and social, economic and health advice. It borrowed £375,000 from Charity Bank to help with the purchase and refurbishment of a new building to house the charity.
Lunch was at Oxford House in Bethnal Green, which is a community and arts centre first established in 1884. It is involved in a variety of youth, immigration, arts and community work. Charity Bank has lent the charity a total of nearly £400,000 to assist in the £1.6 million development of its Visual and Performing Arts Centre, and more recently to provide funds for a new minibus.
The day ended with a visit to to Circus Space, which is based in a former Victorian power station in Hoxton. It’s one of the top three circus schools in Europe and offers education and training to performers, and runs a youth programme as well as recreational classes for the public. The organisation borrowed £60,000 towards a project for the professional development of performers.
Margaret Grant from Southwark was one of the depositors on the Different Journeys Day in London. Says Margaret: “It was most rewarding to see how my savings are supporting charities such as the ones we’ve visited today. It’s satisfying to know that, just by putting some money in a savings account, I am helping to make a difference in the lives of others in the community."
South West England
The day began with a visit to Westbank Community Health and Care, based in Exminster, Devon. The organisation works with local primary healthcare teams delivering a range of care and support services to the community including befriending schemes, lunch clubs and bereavement support. A £200,000 loan over 20 years enabled it to move its thriving charity shop and community café in Starcross, which had outgrown its small rented premises, to a larger property down the street.
Our depositors then visited Bridestowe, a deprived village on the edge of Dartmoor. Due to its poor condition, the original village hall had been demolished in 2001 and Charity Bank stepped in with an £80,000 loan towards the costs of a new hall, in order for construction to begin.
Says Robin Young from Bridestowe Village Hall, which re-opened earlier this year: “If it wasn’t for Charity Bank we would never have been able to build the hall at all – it’s as simple as that.”
The last stop of the day was to the charity CHICKS (Country Holidays for Inner City Kids), which offers disadvantaged children a free respite break in the countryside. It aims to provide a unique experience of care, understanding and support combined with outdoor activities, games, team building and crafts. Charity Bank assisted in the purchase of its second property, now the Moorland’ Retreat in Brentor, with a £318,000 loan.
Trevor Bailey from Dorset, a Charity Bank depositor who joined the trip, said: “The projects that we saw were all run by committed people who needed their organisations to be financially secure and successful so that they could offer real benefits to the community.
“Clearly they found in Charity Bank, and the people who run it, an immediate understanding of what they were trying to achieve and a form of banking uniquely adapted to their needs.
“Charity Bank simply is not like other banks. During our intriguing tour, I was able to speak at length to people from Charity Bank and rapidly realised how much they believe in their mission. I was genuinely impressed. “