Loans and savings from a credit union who cares
- Finance by the community, for the community
- Sharing profits with members, not banker bonuses
- Loans and savings with co-operative values
- Established in 1999, now the largest local credit union
What is a credit union?
More ethical than traditional banks
A credit union is a financial organisation. They were created in 1844 and used to be called ‘The People’s Bank’. Credit unions support a particular group of people to manage their money. The group might belong to a type of job, or a location.
GWCU members all live, work, or study in the South and West counties of England. This includes Bristol, Bath, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, and Dorset.
Because we’re “united” in a credit union, we all help each other. Savers and borrowers create a reserve of money which benefits everyone. Members get fair, competitive interest rates on savings and loans. GWCU reinvests any profits back into the credit union to share with members and the local community.
Who works at GWCU?
Supporting our members’ financial wellbeing every day.
Operations includes the Member Engagement Team who support our members day-to-day. As well as looking after emails and phone calls, the team is trained to sensitively help members who are struggling to manage their money.
Behind the scenes, the HR Manager makes sure people are looked after. The Credit Risk Manager oversees the processes which mean GWCU lends safely and responsibly.
The operations team are known for being friendly and warm. They’re dedicated to deliver great customer service.
Reaching new members and helping them manage money.
The Growth team leads on marketing and project management to spread the word about GWCU. They manage the website, create newsletters, and keep our social media channels active and engaging.
This team champions our mission: connecting with individuals, local businesses, and communities to raise awareness of how GWCU can support financial wellbeing.
Whether it’s launching a new campaign or improving our member experience, the Growth team is always focused on making a bigger impact.
Improving lives through loans and savings.
The Onboarding team guides new members through the first steps of their journey with GWCU. They make sure our loans and savings genuinely improve members’ lives.
When assessing loan applications, they take time to understand each member’s circumstances. If an application can’t be approved right away, the team works with the member to explore other options, always aiming to turn a “no” into a “not yet.”
This team is all about thoughtful decision-making, empathy, and making sure every new member feels supported from day one.
Processing repayments and keeping GWCU financially secure.
The finance team lead on many important tasks for GWCU.
For members, the finance team handles day-to-day payments on loans and salary deduction.
GWCU has financial stability now and in the future thanks to the finance team. This looks like managing budgets, creating reports, assessing risk, and finding ways to be sustainable.
The team also makes sure we meet industry standards by overseeing our business intelligence, audits, and compliance.
Leadership
Chief Executive Officer
At the head of the company is CEO James Berry. He’s committed to developing better financial services which help real people.
Head of Finance
The Head of Finance is Henry Logan. He uses his extensive experience in finance to make a difference to our members.
Head of Growth
The Head of Growth is Jacci Marcus. She balances her strong belief in fairness and equality with years of commercial brand building expertise.
Head of Strategic Delivery
The Head of Strategic Delivery is Colin McDougall. Throughout his career in financial organisations, he has worked to help the underserved and excluded.
Your local credit union
For people, businesses, and communities
For almost 30 years, GWCU has looked after the savings and lent money to local people. Only people who live, work, and study in Bristol, Bath, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, and Dorset can become a GWCU member.
By focusing on one region, one economy, and one group of people GWCU creates real impact. This impact looks like:
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Lending small- medium loans with great interest rates to local people
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Offering competitive interest rates on savings accounts, saving as little as £1
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Supporting borrowers and savers, even if they have struggled with finances before
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Working with local businesses to give their employees genuinely helpful benefits
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Providing resources and education to improve our members’ financial wellbeing
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Reinvesting in community events and organisations to strengthen social groups
Our mission is simple: we’re better off together.
How is GWCU different to a bank?
Our members come first
GWCU is not a bank or building society, but we do offer savings accounts and loans.
Banks care a lot about their shareholders. Shareholders invest in the bank and expect to earn money on their investment. Credit unions don’t have shareholders. We have members. Our “profits” go back to our members and local communities. We make a real difference to real people, rather than making rich people even richer.
Since we’re smaller, more ethical, and dedicated to fairness, GWCU can do things differently. We offer competitive interest rates for savings and affordable loan repayments. Our work genuinely helps our members with their financial wellbeing, and means they have more money in their pockets.
Our local credit union members
Your community is our community
Findings from our member survey
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17% of savers are from Black, Asian or ethnic minority backgrounds
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More than 50% work full-time, part-time, or are self employed
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59% of savers are aged 55 and above
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59% of savers liked the idea of their savings helping local people
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15% of borrowers are from Black, Asian or ethnic minority backgrounds
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37% of borrowers are single parents
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30% of borrowers describe themselves as having a disability
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Almost 90% of borrowers rent their home
The history of GWCU
A legacy of cooperative finance
For almost 30 years we have supported local people and local businesses with loans and savings.
There have been mergers and name changes along the way. In 2021 we became Great Western Credit Union and the largest credit union in the region.
Over the years we have lent money to thousands of local people when they needed it. Thousands more have trusted us to keep their money safe in savings accounts and ISAs.
With realistic loan repayments and savings programmes, we have actively improved our members’ financial wellbeing. Our members feel less stressed and more confident in managing their money.
GWCU is a fair, inclusive financial institution. We’re proud of our history of helping local people.
Loans and savings for local people
Working for the local community
GWCU serves people in Bristol, Bath, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, and Dorset. If you live or work in any of these counties you are eligible to become a GWCU member.
Reinvesting in our local communities is a key GWCU promise.
Keeping your money safe
When you save or borrow with GWCU, your money is: