The voluntary run Community Savings Bank project is now five years old and this week all eight banks will hand back a considerable sum in saving to local families in the nine Carlow /Kilkenny areas they are run from.
This week the Butts Bank will hand back a six figure sum in savings to local families and children. It now has more than 250 members with nearly half of those being children.
Five years ago this year the Community Savings Bank pilot was launched following a joint meeting with Sheila Donnelly (Manager Newpark FRC ) and manager Stephen Murphy and members of the board of the Fr McGrath Centre and former and current directors of St Canice’s Credit Union (Michael Sanders (MABS ), Michael Walsh, Teasie Brennan and Marius Cassidy ) in a joint effort to respond to the growing problem of high interest charging money lending agencies operating in working class community areas.
Volunteers now run these community savings schemes in the Butts, Newpark Close, Bishop Birch Place, Hebron Park (Happe House ), Urlingford (The Mill ) and Callan (Droichead ) FRC’s and Freshford in Co. Kilkenny and Bagenalstown FRC in Carlow.
Voluntary teller and chairman of the Butts volunteer tellers committee Pat McAuley thanked the Fr McGrath Centre whose support for the Butts Savings Bank makes the local bank possible.
He also thanked local families and child members of the Butts Bank and reminded them they would reopen for savings on the first Thursday of the New Year at 6.30pm in the Fr McGrath Centre.
