A NINE-YEAR wait for face-to-face banking services in Saddleworth is set to end.
For Vernon Building Society is moving into the Uppermill home of Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers and Albion House Wealth Management.
The area has been without a traditional high street bank since NatWest closed its High Street branch in the village in 2016.
A proposed shared Banking Hub was later rejected by LINK, the organisation responsible for assessing communities’ access to cash, which said the area had sufficient access to cash and therefore did not need one.
But from November, every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, between 10am and 4pm will see staff from Vernon Building Society provide local residents and businesses with face-to-face financial services, including savings support and mortgage advice.
That means people in Saddleworth will no longer need to travel to Oldham town centre or Tameside for in-person help with more complex financial needs.
Darren Ditchburn, chief executive of Vernon Building Society said ahead of the High Street opening: “We’re delighted to be bringing face-to-face financial services back to the villages of Saddleworth, which have been without a high street branch for nearly a decade.
“Opening in Uppermill will allow us to offer more convenient access to personal service they’ve missed.
“We’re proud to be working with Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers, who returned to Saddleworth in 2025 after 30 years away, and Albion House Wealth Management, two trusted local businesses in the Saddleworth community.
“Together we’ll create a welcoming space where local people can access the support they need.”
The new community branch means three locally focused organisations, where people can access trusted professional service, will be under one roof in the heart of Uppermill.
Founded in Stockport in 1924, Vernon Building Society has more than a century of experience helping people across Greater Manchester and Cheshire.
Its Charitable Foundation and Community Stars programme, benefits charities and not-for-profit organisations in the communities it serves.
And its Uppermill presence will enable it to build relationships with local organisations and explore how it can support the wider Saddleworth community in the future.
Joanne Ormston, director of Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers and Richard Eastwood, director of Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers and Albion House Wealth Management, added: “We are delighted to welcome the Vernon into our shared office space in Uppermill.
“Our organisations share a real commitment to giving people and businesses access to trusted, quality advice right where they need it.
“The arrival of the Vernon adds another important dimension to the services available to the local community.
“We have created a real powerhouse by bringing together legal and financial expertise under one roof.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.