Kilwinning Library has become home to a temporary Banking Hub to help make life easier for residents and businesses.
Cash Access UK, the organisation set up to protect nationwide access to cash, is behind the venture.
You will find the Hub – which offers basic banking and cash services – at Kilwinning Library, St Winning’s Lane.
The convenient service is open from Monday to Friday and offers a counter service operated by the Post Office, where customers of all major banks and building societies can carry out regular cash transactions.
It also offers a community banker service, where customers can talk to their own bank about more complicated issues.
Cash Access UK is a not-for-profit company that is owned and funded by nine major banks. Their work is part of a new, collective approach to protecting access to cash.
They provide shared services – available to the customers of the nine firms – in communities where they are needed most.
The ethos behind having the Hub, which will move to a permanent location once this is ready, is that cash is still important to millions of people across the UK.
According to Cash Access UK, between five and six million adults say they rely on cash in their day-to-day lives.
Digital or online solutions don’t work for everyone all the time, and Cash Access UK says the Hubs make a real difference to individuals, small businesses and communities.
Business customers are welcome to use the counter services to make cash withdrawals, cash and cheque deposits and other cash services including floats and coinage.
Alison McAllister, Library and Information Service Manager, said: “It has been really exciting for us to be involved in Hub and help offer a valuable service to the community.
“Feedback has been great from customers of the various banks, and we look forward to welcoming more people. We would like to remind our Council colleagues that anyone in North Ayrshire can use the banking services.”
If you would like to know more about the Banking Hubs, please email cashaccessuk@cicero-group.com or visit cashaccess.co.uk
Community bankers work on rotation, with a different bank available from Tuesday to Friday.
The community bankers are available from 10am to 1pm and again from 2pm to 5pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday – and on a Wednesday from 10am to 12.30pm.
And the rota is: Tuesday, Royal Bank of Scotland; Wednesday, Bank of Scotland; Thursday, Barclays and Friday, Virgin Money.
“Libraries are at the heart of many communities across North Ayrshire, and the banking services have given people a new reason to come along and use the library”Alison McAllister – Library and Information Service Manager