Dear Members,
On Thursday 19th January 2023, we successfully held our 34th AGM at our newly refurbished Hall Lane branch, and below you’ll find some of the highlights of the evening…
This was our first hybrid AGM
For the first time in over two years, we were able to welcome in-person attendees to our AGM – we opted for a hybrid approach to the meeting, which allowed us to have a number of members join us at our Hall Lane branch, whilst still being accessible and inclusive to members who preferred to attend online.
This was all made possible thanks to the GoTo Webinar platform and invaluable help of ABCUL’s Jackie Littlewood, who facilitated the meeting remotely by managing the presentation and voting system so smoothly and seamlessly.
Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram officially opened our refurbished Hall Lane branch
We were delighted to be joined by Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, who had the honour of officially opening our newly refurbished Hall Lane branch and delivered the keynote speech to open the AGM.
During his speech, Mr Rotheram said: “Things like credit unions have become the very fabric of society and the communities that they serve, and we, myself and Graham (Morgan) and the other leaders, have committed to try and make the Liverpool City Region the fairest and most socially just place in the whole of the country.”
📸 Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram with ECU’s Chair of the Board, Tony Denny
Knowsley Council’s Leader, Cllr Graham Morgan, was in attendance
Also in attendance, was Knowsley Council’s Leader, Cllr Graham Morgan, who spoke about our successful long-standing partnership with Knowsley Council and how we’re supporting those members who are struggling with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, which he said: “It’s great to see how Enterprise have responded and helped so many members over the past year, they have been a lifeline for some of our most vulnerable residents, and I don’t use that word lightly, lifeline, but it really has been a lifeline.”
📸 Knowsley Council Leader, Cllr Graham Morgan
A dividend of 2% was approved, worth over half a million pounds
Once again, and for the 12th consecutive year, we were proud to propose a 2% dividend worth over £537,000, which was approved by our members and successfully applied to all eligible accounts the following day.
“All those years, when the bank was giving you nothing, Enterprise Credit Union was still serving its members by giving them 2% all that time.” – Paul A Jones, Director
As always, we are delighted to be give back to our members.
We shared some news about what’s coming next
We had some very exciting news to share, as very soon we’ll be launching a video-call feature, where members can book in a face-to-face chat with our team, wherever they are, saving them a trip to branch.
We’re also going to be the first credit union to integrate the ‘Inbest Benefits Calculator’ within our mobile app, which could help our members find out about benefits they could be entitled to…so keep your eyes peeled for that update!
Lynn Farrell received the very first ‘Star of the Year’ award
This year, we introduced a brand-new, ‘Star of the Year’ award to recognise and celebrate a member of our team who embodies our vision and core values, who always goes above and beyond to make a difference and takes pride in what they do.
We couldn’t imagine a more deserving first-winner than our Head of Community and Development, Lynn Farrell. Lynn is dedicated, passionate, and hard-working and we are lucky to have her on our team – well done Lynn.
“Lynn does an absolutely amazing job, not just as an employee of this credit union but in a wider role as a steward for the whole of the Huyton community.” – Tony Denny, Chair of the Board
📸 Head of Community and Development, Lynn Farrell receiving the ‘Star of the Year’ award
Tom Roberts was presented with the Jacky Alker Award
Since 2018, we have been presenting the Jacky Alker Award to recognise the effort and sheer commitment shown by our volunteers during their time at Enterprise.
There couldn’t be a more fitting time to present Tom with this inaugural award, as this year, after 12 years of service, he retires from the Board. During this time, Tom has acted as a guide, an advocate and has been instrumental in pushing our credit union forward.
“We are losing one of our great servants of the credit union, and one of our great community members.” – Tony Denny, Chair of the Board
Even though Tom is stepping down, he has offered to give his advice and guidance to the member of the board who is stepping into his role as Treasurer, and that loyalty and continued commitment when no longer being on the Board is something to admire – thank you Tom.
📸 Director, Tom Roberts receiving the ‘Jacky Alker’ award
The wheel spinner revealed the winner of our £100 prize draw!
The names of all attendees, in-person and online were added to a wheel spinner for the chance to win £100 for themselves, and a £100 donation to a community group of their choice.
We spun the wheel live during the AGM to reveal the lucky winner, Alison Shaw, who selected ‘Our House Walton Community Hub’ to receive the £100 donation on her behalf – congratulations Alison.
To read more about the past year at ECU, please click here for our Annual Report, covering the period of October 1st 2021, to September 30th 2022, you can click here for a PDF download of our Accounts.
ECU Team 😊