Dudley Building Society expands its community support

Life Centre Debt Advice, a debt advice charity based in Stourbridge, have been using the Society’s facilities to better serve their clients who face accessibility challenges or were not able to travel to their location.

This initiative was founded after Dudley Building Society donated £30,000 to charities and organisations across the local community as part of their Community Support Fund. 

The fund focuses on three areas – financial resilience, employment, and housing support as part of the Society’s wider community strategy. 

After awarding the winners, the Society continued to work with all recipients to understand how they could further assist their work. Life Centre Debt Advice, which is made up of a team of qualified debt advisers that offer advice to the local community, expressed a need for an accessible venue. By offering space within the Society’s Dudley branch, the partnership has provided a place for people to receive advice on managing their debt.

Lily Hemming, Branch Manager at the Dudley branch, said: “As part of our purpose of being there to help people live better lives, building financial resilience in the region is key, and Life Centre Debt Advice play an important role in this. It’s been great to continue our relationship with them and offer a solution to some of their challenges. 

"We also seek to engage with any other local charities that work towards building financial wellbeing in the community to offer a space that supports their mission. Accessibility is something we take seriously, and it’s rewarding to see the positive impact it has on our community.”

Head of Retail, Simon Dodd, added: “Our Community Support Fund was designed to foster long-term partnerships with the organisations that make a difference. By providing accessible spaces, we aim to create opportunities for groups like Life Centre Debt Advice to continue their vital work. We are open to supporting other community groups that want to make a difference to the financial resilience in the community and welcome any enquiries from those who may benefit from our facilities.”

A spokesperson for Life Centre Debt Advice, said: “We want to say a big thank you to the team at the Dudley for allowing us to use your space. The branch staff were so helpful when we first came in and helped to get us set up very quickly. The space we were provided with was perfect for us, and we couldn't have asked for anything more. We look forward to continuing this relationship.”