Marsden’s £1.5k boost for financial well-being in Colne

The Marsden Building Society Charitable Foundation awarded £1,500 to the Colne Open Door Centre, to fund a six-week financial well-being course for local residents.

The Colne Open Door Centre (External) supports the local community with a range of services, including free counselling, educational courses and a drop-in support service. This donation ensured the implementation of a financial well-being course, arming Waterside locals with the skills and awareness to build a better and safer financial future.

The course, which was delivered to 120 beneficiaries, tackled issues such as debt, budgeting, money management and recognising situations that may trigger non-essential spending. Additionally, the programme equipped participants with the skills to develop healthy spending and savings habits.

The Centre will continue to run the course for new members until December 2024 and participants also have access to further support related to financial problems, including crisis support workers and a food bank.

Rob Pheasey, Chief Executive at the Marsden Building Society, commented: “Financial literacy is a crucial skill, and it’s important to ensure that local people have the tools and knowledge to make informed decisions about their finances. We’re proud to support the Colne Open Door Centre in delivering this much-needed programme. The Marsden Building Society Charitable Foundation was set up to support those living and working within our communities, and we hope this initiative has provided reassurance to Colne residents about their financial futures.”

Nick Alderson, Charity Manager at the Colne Open Door Centre, added: “We’ve been delighted to offer financial literacy skills to so many people in our local community. We’re already seeing the benefits of this from the feedback of individuals who attended the course. The majority of people who accessed the financial well-being course live in a part of East Lancashire that falls into the bottom 2% in the country for deprivation; it’s been fantastic to be able to instil some lifelong skills which will of course benefit individuals and families in the weeks, months and years ahead. This fantastic piece of work wouldn’t have been possible without the kind grant from Marsden Building Society.”

Since launching our Charitable Foundation in 2023, we've awarded 22 grants totalling just over £60,000. The funds are managed by the Community Foundation for Lancashire, which works closely with organisations to help ensure their charitable donations have the greatest impact where they’re most needed. In 2024, we've also donated to the TramShed Theatre Company and Carers Link Lancashire.