Metro Bank, the UK’s community bank, recently welcomed Rosie Duffield, Member of Parliament for Canterbury to its St George’s Street store.
Hosted by Canterbury Metro Bank’s Local Director, Melanie Sewell, and Store Manager, Debbie Valk, Rosie enjoyed a tour of the bank including the vault, safe deposit boxes, private viewing rooms, and Magic Money Machine, while Melanie explained about the Bank’s community focus, relationship banking and its aim to exceed expectations on service. Rosie was pleased to hear that the store operates in the evenings and weekends and appreciated the face to face service that local businesses enjoyed as each is assigned a local business manager regardless of their size or turnover.
Melanie and Debbie explained how their team supported local businesses, including SMEs and charities. “We talked about our commitment to the local community and the important role banks play in its health. We discussed the many ways in which we proactively engage with and support local businesses and individuals and their genuine need for access to cash and face to face banking services,” explains Melanie Sewell, Canterbury Metro Bank’s Local Director. “Our relationship-based approach really helps businesses thrive and sets us apart from other high-street banks.”
Rosie and Melanie spoke about Metro Bank being ‘dog friendly’, providing dog bowls and dog biscuits and Debbie’s dog enjoyed a starring role in the visit. Rosie was also interested to hear about the work the store does in the local community, including charity work via ‘Days to Amaze’ and the delivery of the Money Zone free financial education programme in schools. Metro Bank’s physical presence in the community is central to its ambition of becoming the number one community bank in the UK.
Metro Bank’s Canterbury store is located at 2 St. Georges Street, Canterbury, CT1 2SR. The store is open Monday to Saturday: 8.30am to 6.00pm Sundays: 11am to 5pm.