Guernsey Community Savings (GCS) is a non-profit making charitable organisation helping financially excluded Guernsey residents access basic financial services. Its aim is to help customers manage their financial affairs, play a full, valuable role in society, and ultimately gain access to mainstream banking.
The Foundation awarded Guernsey Community Savings a grant of £53,500 towards the salary of a part-time member of staff over two years.
Though the charity is supported by several volunteers and by the Board of Directors, GCS has only two members of staff. It is their job to meet the clients, handle any issues that arise, run financial education courses, and liaise with referral agencies and other key stakeholders.
Peter Neville, Chair of GCS, said, “Our vision is that no one in the Bailiwick of Guernsey will be financially excluded from being part of and contributing to their community.”
Since opening its doors in September 2020, GCS has provided life-changing support to more than 100 islanders who had previously been financially excluded from society because they didn’t have a bank account. GCS ensures that each of their clients has an easy-to-use online account, a debit card, and a means of building up savings.
Alongside supporting the clients who have been set up with an account, GCS offers financial management education to those who need it, including running six-week programmes with the education department at Guernsey Prison.
Mike’s Story
Mike had lost his bank account after going to prison. The whole experience had caused him significant trauma and left him anxious and introverted. After some encouragement, GCS was able to meet with Mike and a Support Worker, in a comfortable setting and open an account remotely, avoiding the stressful trip to the GCS office. Since then, Mike has found a job he enjoys, has a new relationship and is living life more freely.
“We simply could not operate without our members of staff. We were fortunate to receive a grant from Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands in 2020, which was critical to getting the service off the ground. We are now extremely grateful for the new grant which enables us to pay the salary of one of our staff members for the next two years.” – Peter Neville, Chair
