Joan finds the advantages of joining Union

I’ve been a member of West Lothian Credit Union for 10 years and was previously a member of Capital Credit Union for 20 years.

I originally found out about what a credit union could offer when representatives visited the school where I worked and gave us some information about membership.

It seemed like a very easy, transparent way to conduct my savings.

I initially joined as I required a loan for a holiday to America, but as I became more aware of the ethos of a credit union, I opened additional products such as a savings account, loan and Santa Saver.

I like that the savings account is separate from my banking products and I keep this for my children and grandchildren at Christmas time.

The service at the credit union is truly excellent, the staff always have the time to lend an ear and they’ve taught me so much about how to manage my finances.

Through regular visits to the credit union I realised no problem was too small, and staff are always willing to support you to manage your money, your way.

I’m amazed how the credit union have encouraged me to save when I always thought I had no reason to.

It wasn’t until we got a shock in the family when the boiler broke and we had to use money that we’d put aside that I realised how much credit unions help members in times of financial difficulty.

Had it not been for the credit union we would have found ourselves in a very difficult situation.

I was a pupil support worker at the school where the credit union representatives initially visited, and I now participate in voluntary training.

One of my goals is to help people get to a stable financial situation at an earlier stage in their life and credit unions can help them.