£1 MILLION milestone in community giving
From one good action to who we are: The Thrive! Agenda
Over the past three years, we have committed £1 million to local good causes that matter most to our customers and communities, with funding already delivered alongside further investment held within our Charitable Foundation to support future impact.
This milestone marks more than the scale of our giving. It reflects the evolution of our Thrive! Agenda from a single good action into something that now shapes how we operate, how we make decisions and how we serve people every day.
Our Society has always had a strong presence in our local communities. Supporting local causes came naturally to us. It was meaningful, genuine and often done quietly. However, what we had not yet built was anything fully joined up. Something deliberate. Something that clearly reflected the true purpose of a mutual.
How was the Thrive Agenda created?
Three years ago, we took time to reflect on how our community giving aligned with that purpose, and whether there was an opportunity to be more intentional in what we stood for. From that reflection came Thrive!, a single shared agenda designed to help our customers and communities not just cope, but move forward with confidence.
In January 2023, that idea became action. We marked the first milestone of the Thrive! Agenda with a £100,000 donation to local foodbanks across our heartland, supporting families facing the rising cost-of-living pressures. It was a response to immediate need, but also the starting point for something wider.
What began as a single good action quickly became something bigger. Piece by piece, Thrive! took shape, not as a one-off initiative, but as a long‑term commitment. A clear agenda, driven by purpose, powered by our people and focused firmly on making a meaningful and lasting difference.
That £1 million milestone represents far more than a number. It reflects doors opened, pressures eased, confidence rebuilt and opportunities strengthened across our communities.
What has our Thrive! agenda supported?
These milestones matter because of what they make possible. They allow us to focus our support where it can have the greatest impact, helping people not just get by, but truly move forward.
A central strand of this work is Thrive Forward, which supports young people to build financial resilience, strengthen their mental wellbeing and develop vital employability skills, helping them build positive foundations for the future.
Alongside this, our commitment to thriving communities means responding to practical, everyday needs. This includes supporting families through the cost-of-living crisis, restoring access to essential banking services through the introduction of the OneBanx machine in Market Harborough after high street banks withdrew, opening up Newcombe House as a community hub, and backing smaller grassroots organisations through our Community Fund.
Delivered in partnership with the Leicestershire and Rutland Community Foundation, the fund is designed to strengthen local initiatives and empower groups working at the heart of neighbourhoods across our region. Earlier this year, we completed our second funding window, with further local organisations set to receive support in the months ahead.
The Thrive! Agenda 3 years later
Today, Thrive! is no longer just an agenda. It is part of who we are.
Through Thrive!, we are currently supporting over 1,300 young people through Thrive Forward programmes, welcoming more than 5,000 people through community activities and events at Newcombe House, and supporting over 300 local groups and organisations through volunteering, use of our space, targeted funding and prize draw donations supporting causes close to our members’ hearts.
It shapes how we think, how we act and how we do business. Every savings account opened. Every mortgage conversation held. Every decision we make is grounded in the same mindset because we know that every pound of profit we generate is reinvested back into our purpose.
Thrive! started as an idea. It became a shared commitment. And today, it lives and breathes through our culture, guiding how we show up, serve our members and play our part in building stronger, more resilient communities for the future.
