Newcastle Building Society celebrated the official launch of its new Pickering branch with the help of the local community as it continues to buck the trend of bank branch closures.

The new modern, open-plan space was officially opened on Pickering’s Market Place last Wednesday.

It offers customers access to Newcastle Building Society’s full range of face-to-face services, information and financial advice. The opening marks the latest phase in a multi-year, multi-million-pound investment into high streets and communities in the region.

As well as a full range of branch services Newcastle Building Society is pioneering the use of a multi-bank kiosk in its new Pickering location. The OneBanx kiosk enables personal and small business customers to withdraw money and make coin and notes cash deposits into their own bank account. The kiosk will provide essential cash access for residents, visitors, and businesses in the town who continue to use cash and rely on convenient access to their account. All are welcome to come into the branch and make use of the OneBanx kiosk, whether or not they are customers of Newcastle Building Society.

The opening of the Society’s 32nd branch comes ahead of the closure of Pickering’s last bank, with Barclays citing falling customer usage and increased preference for digital banking behind its decision to close in 2025.

Andrew Haigh, chief executive officer at Newcastle Building Society said: “As we’ve seen in Pickering, while banks continue to pull down the shutters, we’re committed to building a long term presence in our communities, and that’s why we’re growing our footprint and investing in our high streets and towns.

“We believe high streets are always better with branches, not only for the greater choice they offer our members in how they manage their finances, but also for the positive impact they have on their local communities. Our branch team in Pickering are already well connected with the community, and can’t wait to start to grow and develop long term relationships in the town.

“As a mutual, we’ll continue to focus on being available in the way our members and communities need us. It’s encouraging to see a growth in branch savings balances and customer numbers as more people recognise the value of financial services that are present on their high streets.”

The Society welcomed Pickering Town Mayor, Councillor Emma Daplyn, and a representative of Ryedale Community Foodbank, Ian Clarke, to cut the ribbon at the official opening event alongside the chief executive of Newcastle Building Society, Andrew Haigh.

Ryedale Community Foodbank was recently awarded a grant of £5,000 by the Newcastle Building Society Community Fund.

The new branch expands the Society’s presence in Pickering, which started in 2019 when it acquired a financial advice-only office in the town. The financial advice team have already moved from their existing office on Champley’s Mews to the new branch on Market Place.

For more information on Newcastle Building Society and its commitment to branches visit www.newcastle.co.uk