Pupils from Prior Western Primary School usually enjoy banking, saving and budgeting lessons as part of Metro Bank’s Money Zone programme, but this year’s COVID restrictions meant that their Year 5 pupils would be the first group in three years to miss out.
Step up Metro Bank Fulham Broadway’s assistant manager Gosia Rybak who delivered all the programme materials and goodie bags to the school so the pupils would not totally miss out.
As a community bank, Metro Bank delivers its Money Zone programme to thousands of school children every year. The programme comprises lessons on banking, saving and budgeting and includes a visit to a Metro Bank store with a tour of the vault and the safe deposit boxes that reside in each store. At the end of the tour, each child receives a practical goodie bag including a money box, pens pencil case, crayons, and activity book.
“Teaching children really practical lessons about money and saving starts at home with pocket money, but we like to take the lessons a little further explaining how a bank works looking after their money and the importance of saving,” explains Fulham Metro Bank’s store manager Reuben Thomas. “We have had hundreds of children in store since the programme started and far and away their favourite part of the day is guessing what might be stored in the safe deposit boxes.”
Gosia’s efforts were not unappreciated and she had an honourable mention in the school newsletter: “We’ve been friends with Metro Bank for three years! Due to COVID restrictions, we were unable to accommodate their amazing ‘Money Zone’ programme, for Year 5. Sincere thanks to Gosia, Reuben Thomas (Manager), and the fantastic Fulham team, for ensuring that nothing stops our children from learning Metro’s valuable life skills!”
“We were so disappointed that the pupils could not come and visit us in store as usual, so making sure they didn’t completely miss out was the least we could do commented Gosia Rybak, assistant store manager, Metro Bank. “We are looking forward to getting back to normal and welcoming everyone back in store when the restrictions finally lift.”
Metro Bank’s Fulham Broadway store can be found at Fulham Retail Centre, Unit 3, Fulham, London, SW6 1BW.