Bradford District Credit Union 30th Anniversary
Bradford District Credit Union celebrated its 30th anniversary on 14th of July at Margaret McMillan Tower in Bradford. This event was attended by 100 people, also covered by BBC Radio Leeds, BCB Radio and featured in the press.
BDCU has been admired internationally for their work in Bradford. More than 9,500 people in the UK have joined this organization. Founded by Bradford Council in 1993, to borrow and save money in a secure manner.
It was established at a time when bank loans were difficult to obtain and interest rates were 15%. Their goal in founding this company was to act as a symbol of hope. BDCU provides monetary security and a platform for empowerment.
Leading on community projects like FoodSavers and UniformSavers, BDCU is also a national first for the title of “Community Development Credit Union (CDCU)”.
You could become a member of credit union if you live or work in the Bradford District Credit Union, Craven or Kirklees area.
Several speakers were invited to this occasion, including:
- Lord Mayor of Braford Cllr Gerry Barker: “The office of Lord Mayor has a rich history of working with BDCU so it’s great to be able to celebrate the anti-poverty partnership work they lead on. Bradford is proud of its multi-cultural heritage, and it was the late Cllr Abid Hussain, who was Lord Mayor at the time, who endorsed BDCU as a Faith Friendly credit union, a place where people of all faiths and cultures could save ethically.”
- Katie Hurrell, CEO at BDCU: “At the beginning of the 1990s the UK was in recession and government was forced to withdraw from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. Interest rates hit 15% with a major credit crunch cutting off supply to credit from banks. Staff at Bradford Council were asking HR for help and the council explored options to help staff. This then prompted the council to start a journey to setting up BDCU 30 years ago. We are delighted to share in celebration of 30 years of BDCU we will be providing our members with exclusive offers this summer including our Summertime loan and much more.”
- Cllr Susan Hinchliffe, Bradford Council Leader: “We are very proud of our partnership work with the Credit Union. They do some great work with our residents across the district, and we are glad that we can support them especially at this time when families need the extra support that the Credit Union can offer more than ever before. “I also want to pay tribute to those staff volunteers’ pioneers who had the courage and foresight to carve out this new cooperative to support their colleagues.”
- Sean McNulty, first member of BDCU: “I’ve been a council gardener for over 35 years and I’m proud to have been the first member ever of the credit union. I’ve saved, paying for holidays for the family with affordable subs out of my weekly wage packet. When I have needed to take loans, they were always simple to repay. I am grateful to Bradford Council for setting up the Credit Union and I’m so glad my union encouraged us to sign up. Joining the Credit Union was the right thing to do for my family – it has always been there for me.”
To find out more about BDCU visit: https://bdcu.co.uk/