Skipton International’s Community Fund is to donate £5,000 a year for the next three years to help Guernsey Community Savings (GCS) continue to provide life-changing support to people who have been financially excluded.
Since it was set up in September 2020, GCS has helped more than 120 islanders who had previously been financially excluded from society because they didn’t have a bank account. The charity ensures that each of its clients has an easy-to-use online account, a debit card, and a means of building up savings.
As well as supporting its clients, the charity also offers financial management education to those who need it, including running six-week programmes with the education department at Guernsey Prison.
The donation from Skipton will be put towards the cost of staff salaries over the next three years.
Josie Paint, Skipton’s director of operations and company secretary, said: “Skipton is delighted to make this three-year commitment to Guernsey Community Savings. The work it undertakes within the Bailiwick aligns with our own ethos of giving back to the community, and we recognise the benefits this brings to the local community.”
Peter Neville, founder and chair of Guernsey Community Savings, added: “Skipton has been one of our longest standing and most consistent supporters. We are enormously grateful for this very valuable further commitment which, combined with the generous grants we receive from our other main sponsors, will enable us to continue to serve our clients over the next three years.
‘‘Our vision at GCS is that no-one in the Bailiwick of Guernsey will be financially excluded from being part of and contributing to their community. We help people who have no access to banking, either because the bank has closed their account, or because they have a poor credit history, or because they simply don’t have the documentation required to open a regular bank account.
“We are supporting people who have spent years being knocked back, turned away and let down by the system. It is incredibly rewarding for all of us at GCS to be able to arrange banking services for our clients and help them to manage their money.”
The main picture shows (left to right) Josie Paint, Skipton’s director of operations and company secretary, Nadine Caton, Guernsey Community Savings deputy manager, and Peter Neville, GCS chair.
