Ecology Building Society launches savings account to support Sea-Changers
A new savings account from the Yorkshire-based Ecology Building Society will raise funds for marine conservation charity Sea-Changers.
Sea-Changers is a UK-based marine conservation charity dedicated to protecting and restoring the ocean and coastline around the UK. Through its grant-giving programmes, Sea-Changers funds grassroots projects that address key marine conservation challenges, from tackling plastic pollution and supporting sustainable fisheries to protecting coastal habitats and engaging communities with marine issues. The mutual’s new Sea-Changers Impact Saver pays 2.00 per cent AER/gross variable to savers, with quarterly donations to the charity, which is equivalent to 1 per cent of the annual average balances held in the account.
Pauline Crawford, Ecology Building Society’s Senior Product and Proposition Manager – Savings said: “Our savers tell us they choose Ecology because they know their money will be invested to deliver positive impact, such as through our mortgage lending to community projects and environmentally-friendly homes. We wanted to find other ways to directly support causes our members care about, so we’re delighted to announce our new partnership with Sea-Changers. Through our new Sea-Changers Impact Saver account, Ecology will be making quarterly donations to support the charity’s important marine conservation work.”
Helen Webb MBE, Co-Founder of Sea-Changers, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to start this new partnership with Ecology Building Society. We applaud their mission with the strong focus on having a positive impact on, people, communities and the planet. This feels really well aligned to the focus of our grant programmes, which exist to help communities positively impact the seas and shores where they live through conservation action. We are excited to be working with the team at Ecology.”
From its head office in Silsden, West Yorkshire, Ecology offers savings and mortgage products to more than 15,000 members across the UK. In April, the building society welcomed its first branch customers when it opened a base in Porth, Wales. The mutual is offering face to face support to customers in the town, where the last bank branch closed eight and a half years ago. Ecology has created three jobs in Porth with the opening of the branch. Private spaces allow customers to speak to staff in the society’s member services team.
Speaking in February, Gareth Griffiths, CEO at Ecology, said: “For too long, communities like Porth have been abandoned by the big high street banks, leaving them stranded in a ‘banking desert’ without access to essential services and support. These faceless corporates have put profit-driven decisions over people’s needs, leaving a gap that Ecology is determined to fill. This ambition starts with our very first branch in Porth.”
“Since Covid and the cost-of-living crisis, people have an increased need for security and face-to-face support. But the big banks have failed to respond to this. Ripping out banking facilities from the High Street is more than just the denial of access to cash and customer service. It’s the loss of trusted spaces, stability and connection."