Trafford Council Leader, Cllr Tom Ross, and Andrew Western, the MP for Stretford and Urmston, visited the Nationwide Building Society in Stretford to check out the branch’s new pilot scheme for people with health conditions that make it harder to talk.
They met the team and toured the branch, where they learned about the services Nationwide offers and experienced first-hand the new ways the Society is serving members through the cost-of-living crisis.
One of the services they were interested in was Speak Easy, a new pilot to help people with communication difficulties ask about a range of common banking questions.
Customers who have difficulty talking, can use a set of printed cards to ask for advice, report a lost or stolen card, or even ask for help to understand if they’ve been scammed. The pilot is the first of its kind for UK high street banking and is currently available in 10 branches across Greater Manchester.
Cllr Ross said: “I was delighted to have been asked to visit the Nationwide Building Society’s Stretford branch to see how the ‘Speak Easy’ tool works. This is a fabulous idea to help some of the most vulnerable in our communities and I applaud Nationwide for the support they are offering through this scheme. Thank you to everyone involved.”
Harry Williams, Branch Manager at Nationwide in Stretford, said: “We were honoured to welcome Cllr Tom Ross and Mr Western to our branch in Stretford. It was a great opportunity for us to showcase the services we’re able to offer and the support we can provide to people who struggle with communicating because of health issues. Nationwide remains committed to its branch network through its branch promise, which allows us to continue to support our members through these difficult times.”
Posted on Wednesday 21st June 2023