By Gareth Madeley, Chief Customer Officer, West Brom Building Society

As a mutual, community is central to why we exist. Our roots in the communities we serve have shaped who we are as a building society, how we support local people and make a positive difference in the places where we live and work.

Being firmly rooted in the West Midlands gives us the opportunity to build long-term relationships, understand the challenges people face and consider the role we can play beyond our day-to-day work as a building society.

That doesn’t mean we have all the answers ourselves. Community impact doesn’t always mean building something new. Sometimes the greatest impact can come from listening to and working alongside organisations that already have the trust, expertise and relationships to make a difference.

That kind of thinking has been a key driver behind our decision to become a Principal Partner of The Albion Foundation.

Both organisations have a long history in the region and share an ambition to help people and communities thrive. Through the partnership, we’ll be supporting programmes focused on financial education, life skills and social mobility, drawing on the Foundation’s established networks and experience to reach people across the Black Country and beyond.

But for us, a strong community partnership should be about more than providing support. It should be a two-way relationship.

Working alongside organisations that are deeply embedded in their communities allows us to listen and learn. It can help us better understand the experiences of local people, the barriers they may face and where organisations like ours could make a difference. Those insights can also help us reflect on our own approach and consider where we could do more.

Our colleagues have an important role to play too. The partnership will create more opportunities for them to volunteer, share their skills and get involved with initiatives across the region. As well as contributing their own time and experience, it can help colleagues build an even greater understanding of the people and places where we live and work.

Our work with The Albion Foundation also builds on the relationships we already have with organisations across the region. As our Charity of the Year, Jericho is another example of how working alongside an organisation with strong roots in local communities can help us make a difference.

Through colleague fundraising and volunteering, as well as running career development sessions with guests from Jericho, we’re supporting its work and finding different ways for our people to contribute to the communities around them. It reflects the value we place on collaboration and working with organisations that understand first-hand where support can have the greatest impact.

Our commitment to the region also means recognising where we’ve come from. Our sponsorship of Black Country Living Museum, including our replica branch there, helps tell part of the West Brom’s story and the role we have played in the Black Country over generations. The branch recreates our former Cape Hill premises as they appeared in 1949, the year the Society celebrated its centenary. For me, there is a natural connection between honouring that heritage and looking ahead to how we can work with other organisations to invest in the future of the West Midlands.

For regional mutuals, being part of a community is about more than having a presence there. It’s how our roots allow us to build relationships for the long term and work alongside organisations that bring different expertise, experience and perspectives.

It’s by combining these strengths, that we can better understand the needs of local people and help us consider where we can make the greatest difference in our communities. 

Find out more about West Brom's community support here