Vernon Building Society to open new branch in Uppermill

The branch will offer face-to-face savings and mortgage services three days a week.

The building society will operate from 92-94 High Street, within the offices of Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers and Albion House Wealth Management.

It will open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am until 4pm.

Vernon said the Uppermill site is the first of a planned expansion of its community branch model across Greater Manchester and Cheshire.

Saddleworth has been without a traditional high street bank since NatWest closed its Uppermill branch in 2016.

A proposed shared banking hub for Saddleworth was later rejected by LINK, which assesses communities' access to cash. According to Vernon, LINK found there was sufficient access to cash in the area.

Vernon also said Oldham East and Saddleworth has lost more than 75 per cent of its banking facilities since 2015.

Darren Ditchburn, chief executive of Vernon Building Society, said: “We’re proud to be extending the Vernon’s member-owned approach to Oldham, bringing our commitment to personal service and local communities to our new community branch in Uppermill.

“Oldham is home to many vibrant communities, and we want to play our part in supporting them. Our Uppermill branch will bring the Vernon closer to residents and businesses in Saddleworth, while also giving us the opportunity to develop relationships across the wider Oldham area.

“Uppermill is an important milestone for the Vernon. It’s our first community branch and the first step in our plan to establish a presence in all Greater Manchester boroughs over the coming years.”

Vernon was founded in Stockport in 1924 and currently has six branches in Stockport, Hazel Grove, Bramhall, Poynton, Reddish and Marple.

The society said it recently completed a £1.2 million refurbishment of those branches. It said the work and its planned expansion will take its investment in local high streets to nearly £2 million.

Joanne Ormston, director at Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers, and Richard Eastwood, director at Pearson and Albion House Wealth Management, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Vernon into our shared office space in Uppermill.

“Our organisations share a real commitment to giving people and businesses access to trusted, quality advice right where they need it.

“The arrival of the Vernon adds another important dimension to the services available to the local community.”