Mutualmatters, Our Friendly Advisers Help Three Generations Plan Their Future Nest Egg

skipton.co.uk mutualThe members’ magazine from Skipton Building Society matters Spring 2011 Meet the Weares and their family: In this new issue of mutualmatters, our friendly advisers help three generations plan their future nest egg WIN A Wii games console for the family Society AGM Make your voice heard VOTEX Contents Page 4-5 ........... Making a difference where you are. David The Society’s giving in 2010. 6-9 ........... Members in focus. Read how the Weares and their family make their money work hard for them. Cutter 10-11......... Talkback. We discuss the burning issues Group Chief Executive of the moment with a panel of members. “ 12-13 ........ Skipton stars. Meet some of our people who are working hard for you. ...your Society remains 14-15 ........ What’s new. Our latest product and strong despite the service developments. 16-17 ........Meet the Board. “challenging environment 18-19 ........Notice of AGM. 20-30 ..... Summary Financial Statement. 31 ..............Locate your nearest branch. 32 ............. Competition. Win a family games console. Welcome to the 2011 edition of your Mutual Your Society remains strong despite services such as funeral planning Matters member magazine. This is a great the challenging environment. We and insurance. With our own, whole opportunity for me to let you know how have been profitable throughout of market, advice subsidiary, Skipton your Society fared in 2010, and update you the credit crunch and have boosted Financial Services (SFS), our in- about what we’re doing to put you first in our operating profits by 94% over branch and telephone advisers are terms of products, services and community the past year, as well as further keen to help you in any way they can. involvement. improving our capital strength. You And you’ll find full details of how to can read a more detailed summary get in touch with them throughout At Skipton we’re acutely aware that ongoing of our financial performance in the this magazine. economic challenges, such as rising inflation Summary Directors’ Report on pages and fiscal tightening, will be hitting many of 20-23. Over the next few pages you’ll also our members and their families hard. Our meet some of our members, and response to this has been to provide: I feel certain that the recent financial hopefully gain inspiration from what • Some of the most innovative and good crisis will result in a very different they’re doing to make their money value mortgage, savings and general culture in Britain, in terms of how work as hard as possible (pages 6-9), financial solutions available (see pages much individuals spend, borrow and as well as some helpful hints and 14&15); save. Skipton has championed the tips from our friendly advisers. I hope values of financial prudence for more you enjoy reading the rest of the • Enhanced service including the addition of than a century-and-a-half and we’re magazine. 16 new outlets (pages 14&15); passionate about helping you to reap • Continued support of the communities in the rewards of doing the same. which you live and work (pages 4&5); As well as offering good value • Involvement with our members in shaping mortgage and savings solutions, we David Cutter, Group Chief Executive the Society’s future (pages 10&11). do this by providing complementary 2 For more about our 2010 performance visit skipton.co.uk/performance 3 We feel enormous gratitude for the Making a difference Society’s support Your Society over the past five years, which has Our Communities where you are enabled the Skipton The Skipton Building Society Camerata Building Society is just one deserving organisation Camerata to delight which has benefited from our help audiences – young recently. Skipton is committed to and old – with classical music, modern helping community groups, charities, interpretations and eclectic performance events and causes up and down the UK venues. Despite the notes in classical music through financial and in-kind support. being set down for hundreds of years there is Here’s a flavour of just some of the still plenty of room for variety in the day-to-day things we’ve been involved with: life of a professional orchestra. To give you a snapshot of my world, here are some of my • Over 6,000 people joined in events at A year in the life of Skipton Building Society reflections on the Camerata’s bumper 2010. the Skipton Building Society-sponsored Camerata, just one of the Society’s Fashion Pavilion at the 2010 Great Ben Crick, Musical Director, Yorkshire Show; successful community projects, in the Skipton Building Society Camerata words of Musical Director Ben Crick • £400 donated to See, Dance & Cheer in Accrington, Lancashire, towards the One of the Camerata’s major strengths is our The summer festival season was incredibly With Skipton’s support we are able to work with purchase of pom-poms for children’s aim of performing works with orchestras as busy and saw us playing opera galas and schools and ensure that children, particularly those cheerleading classes; similar as possible to those originally other seasonal favourites. My personal with the added hurdle of rural isolation and lack of pictured by the composer. This saw us give highlight was the last night of the proms provision in their communities, can enjoy an active • Skipton’s Malton branch, North concerts in repertoire as diverse as Mozart concert at North Yorkshire’s annual involvement with the Arts. Yorkshire, took part in Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, raising almost £800; and Schoenberg, from string quintets right Grassington Festival; you just cannot beat 2011 will see more workshops that encourage up to 55 piece orchestras. the incredible atmosphere this creates – people to write and perform music, as well as more • £500 donated to buy new buoyancy complete with a huge firework send off. A significant achievement of our last Camerata performances in unusual spaces such as aids for the Surbiton Sealion Seascout season was strengthening our links with If it’s not clear already, we’re not just about shopping centres, pubs and train stations. We want Group in Surrey; several choral societies. As a result, we’ve playing music. Last year we embarked on a more people to hear classical music in the places joined them for performances of some of the children’s project around the music of John they normally visit and, in doing so, to allow these • Skipton’s Lancaster branch stepped greatest choral works ever written. Cheetham, an eighteenth century Skipton great classical works to speak for themselves. in to replace £100 of charity donations We are also incredibly proud that 2010 resident and composer with considerable, stolen from the local convent. The brought the first performance of our youth unsung talent. Involving nursery children, money went to the Pakistan flood orchestra. It’s fantastic to see so many primary and secondary students, we relief appeal; talented youngsters shine. had over 100 pupils re-writing sections of • 15 years of support and over £1.7million Mozart’s Magic Flute before What’s in store for the Camerata in 2011: raised with members’ help for the joining their works with some of Mozart’s • A production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with the NSPCC, through our affinity ISA original pieces and performing an abridged youth Camerata and a cast all aged under 18; account; version of an opera about Cheetham. • Further collaborations with NYMAZ (North Yorkshire • £100 donated to enable a local bowls In fact, we’ve been particularly active in the Music Action Zone) bringing classical music to tournament to take place at Silsden field of musical education, delivering over over 25 schools; Playing Fields Bowling Club, in West 50 workshops to children ranging from three • A series of chamber music recitals in pubs Yorkshire; right up to 17-year-olds looking to continue around Craven; their learning at university. Projects have • Collaborations with many local choral societies • 69 good causes across the country included sessions on performing, listening, on works such as Haydn’s The Creation, Mozart’s helped to the tune of more than composing and stagecraft and have Requiem and Handel’s Messiah. £100,000 during 2010 by our culminated with over 500 youngsters joining For dates of forthcoming events visit skiptoncamerata.co.uk independent Skipton Building Society Children discovering the power of music at a recent the Camerata for performances of Charitable Foundation. workshop at Christ Church C.E. Primary School in Skipton symphonies, songs and operas. 4 Do you have a good cause you’d like us to support? visit your local branch for more information and an application form 5 Members in focus Zoe (far left) relaxing with (left to right) son Charlie, husband Ally, mum Marlene, dad Bryan and Members in focus daughter Hollie Members in focus Each year, Mutual Matters talks “I’m always looking to the future and outgoings and the skiing holiday they to pay for outright if we needed to. We’ve to real Skipton members about planning ahead for retirement and look forward to each year. always lived within our means, and are the lifestyle we want to have,” said the very protective of the things we have. “We work out what we need to manage their approach to managing their 36-year-old, who manages the drug and day-to-day and then put anything that’s finances, in a bid to inspire others. alcohol rehabilitation centre owned by “We try to balance this with making sure left into our ISAs so that we don’t touch mum and dad Marlene and Bryan (read we have a fulfilling family life, including This time, Zoe Weare and her it,” Zoe continued.

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