Sending Christmas cheer and a look back at the year
Posted on 18th December 23
CEO Kevin Gray looks back at the year and the whole Society send all our Members, partners and friends the warmest Christmas wishes, thank you for your continued support this year, we appreciate it all.
“As 2023 draws to a close, I wanted to share with you some highlights of the past 12 months. I’m proud of what Society colleagues have achieved against a challenging economic backdrop.
What a year it’s been. We started the year with the appointment of Joanne Evans, our first female Chairperson in the Society’s 119 year history.
2023 will also be remembered as the year we launched the Society’s new Mobile App for Members to manage accounts securely on the go. Other technological advances we’re proud of include the introduction of Bea, Bath’s electronic assistant, to support our live chat teams to provide quick answers to frequently asked questions around the clock.
The summer saw our Oldfield Park Branch close for two weeks for a makeover and we launched a highly competitive Lifetime ISA to help Members save for a first home or later life and receive a 25% government bonus on top of the current interest rate.
Your feedback is valuable to us and our successful Member Forum launched last year is now a regular feature in our calendar. I have met with groups of Members for some productive sessions which will continue into the new year.
The past 12 months have also shone a light on some incredible local community initiatives we’ve been proud to support, including our annual Charity Awards and Charity of the Year partnership with Bath Mind. We have continued our successful Financial Education workshops with local schools, including the Branch team attending Threeways School to host a practical session about how to open a bank account.
We also launched a Colleague Volunteering programme, including a partnership with MoreTrees BANES to plant 1,200 in local public spaces to mark the Society’s 120th birthday (coming up in 2024!).
Our new Colleague Fundmatching scheme supported many local charities including three mortgage colleagues running the Bath Half to raise funds for Bath Mind.
We also continue our sponsorship of Team Bath rugby, netball and tennis teams and have enjoyed a team building event at The Rec.
As the year comes to an end we’re delighted to be on target to hit many firsts – we are happy to have welcomed more 18-35 year old Members than ever before; we have received a record level of mortgage applications which have delivered strong growth in the mortgage book. A particular highlight of 2023 is the fact that Membership numbers have risen sharply driven by our product and technological initiatives and by us delivering on our strategy to offer long term fair value when it comes to interest rates.
We have many more exciting plans for 2024 and we look forward to sharing them with you as the year progresses. Thank you again for your support – we appreciate it all.”
PS. Please note our Head Office & Branches will be closed on 25th, 26th December and 1st January but you can still manage accounts 24/7 via Bath Online or the Mobile App.
