Every year the team at Beverley Building Society looks forward to meeting both valued members and
important local figures at its annual AGM. The Society not only reports on its financial performance
and developments made in its popular savings and mortgage products, but also on its commitment to
giving back to its heartland.
So, at this year’s event on Tuesday 29th May, the Beverley’s team were particularly delighted to welcome some important local dignitaries, the Chairman of East Riding Council, Councillor Linda Bayram and her Consort, Mr Charlie Bayram, along with the Mayor and Mayoress of Beverley, Councillor David Boynton and Miss Tina Wilson.
The First Floor Café in Browns Department Store in Beverley once again played host to the proceedings, which were officially opened by the Beverley’s Chair, Karen Wint, who addressed probably the largest member audience the firm had ever seen. Karen reflected on the fact that the Society had delivered yet another solid performance in a challenging economic environment and made significant progress in modernising the business, whilst continuing to deliver excellent service to members.
She reflected on Beverley’s independent customer feedback results, collated by Smart Money People, which show some of the highest scores in the sector at 4.93 out of 5. Many of them reflect that the Beverley makes people feel human as opposed to a number on a screen, in an increasingly automated age. With community giving a priority, she also announced that the firm donated £20,500 to charities and community groups last year.
Karen told us: “I think those member words really get to the heart of what the Beverley is all about. I’m extremely proud to serve as the Chair of a Society that receives countless plaudits like this. It’s also a privilege to be able to meet some of our members face to face and learn what’s important to them. Despite the considerable investment required to make us ‘future-fit’, we haven’t let our standards drop and continue to offer the outstanding level of personalised service that we’re known for, and which makes us stand out in a highly competitive marketplace.”
Society CEO, Janet Bedford then took to the podium to talk about the Building Society principle which
is to deliver purpose beyond profit, by focusing on the interests of members and communities rather
than shareholders. Society members appreciate its commitment to being open longer than any other
bank or building society in Beverley and the opportunity to see a highly skilled mortgage manager
face to face – a model which has virtually disappeared from our high street. Some of the reasons why
the firm won the 2024 Yorkshire Finance Awards for both Mortgage Provider of the Year and Outstanding Customer Service.
Janet then provided a fascinating insight into some of the Beverley’s key investment areas from
undertaking a detailed tender process for new core systems and digitalising processes, removing over
13,000 paper documents in 2024, which improves efficiency, reduces costs and benefits the environment. The Society also launched a hugely popular suite of new digital savings notice accounts, so members can fully self-service if they wish, resulting in savings balances reaching record levels.
We’re excited to be in the middle of a three-year journey to deliver a more streamlined and smoother service for our members and intermediaries, greater efficiency for our team, and improved resilience and reliability for the Society.” said Janet, before adding: “We can’t rest on our laurels and we’re committed to ‘Building Better Futures’ for our members, in line with our founding principles.
The audience also heard from the Society’s charitable partners, beginning with a heartfelt address by
Andy Wilson of Yorkshire Cancer Research – Beverley Building Society’s Charity of the Year for 2024, who talked of their latest developments. He expressed his deep appreciation for the Society’s enthusiastic support, and highlighted a remarkable fundraising campaign that raised over £13,500 to help advance the charity’s vital work in cancer research and early screening programmes across the region.
Marie-Louise Robinson, representing Hull & East Yorkshire Mind, then took to the stage to outline some of the exciting plans in place for this year’s partnership. She spoke passionately about the importance of mental health, emphasising that it deserves the same care and attention as its physical counterpart and highlighted the wide range of support services, including a vital crisis helpline, which receives more than 200 calls a day from people in urgent need.
The Society then welcomed questions from members, which were answered by Karen and Janet before the Results of the Resolutions took place and, as with previous years, the Society, is donating 50p for every vote received to its Charity of the Year, which equates to a further £369 for Hull & East Yorkshire Mind.
Finally, special thanks to Browns Department Store for once again providing the delicious buffet and
refreshments, which were thoroughly enjoyed by everyone at the end of the evening.
Photo Captions ;-
