Scottish Building Society hosted Scotland’s first inclusive rugby festival, with Edinburgh Rugby Inclusive Team (ERIT) being crowned the tournament’s first ever champion.
The event which saw nearly 100 participants from across Scotland compete from the four teams- Edinburgh Inclusive Rugby Team, Strathmore Clan, Fife Clan and Ayrshire Clan.
The round-robin tournament was played ahead of Edinburgh Rugby’s match with Scarlets in the BKT United Rugby Championship.
All players from the tournament took part in a lap of honour at half-time before the winning side was presented with a trophy by Scottish Building Society, Chief Executive Officer, Paul Denton.
Inclusive Rugby involves both able-bodied players and those with a physical or learning disability, playing in one unified outfit.
It is hoped the Scottish Building Society Festival will encourage others to get involved in rugby, showing regardless of ability, there is room for everyone in this sport.
Mr Denton said: “Our partnership with Edinburgh Rugby is about far more than the professional players on the pitch. Rugby is a sport for everyone and using our platform we wanted to create opportunities to make the game more accessible and inspire others to get involved.
“It was an honour to meet the teams and seeing the players come together with such a great display of community and teamwork is truly inspiring. I hope this tournament encourages people to look at rugby differently, inspires people to get involved in this great sport.”
Edinburgh Rugby, managing director, Douglas Struth added: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have hosted the Scottish Building Society Inclusive Festival ahead of our game against Scarlets.
“It kicked off our ‘Family Fest’ match night in style and it was a special moment to see the players all join in for the lap of honour at half time.
“With four teams and nearly 100 players involved the festival of rugby and togetherness, that celebrates everything good about the game we love.”
SCOTTISH Building Society has doubled down on its commitment to offering Edinburgh customers passbook accounts, in a bid to support them with their financial needs.
With more than 67 percent of Scottish Building Society members across Edinburgh holding a passbook, they will continue to have access to the account, which can play a crucial role in helping them to manage their finances.
The move comes after several major banks across the UK announced they would be removing passbooks, which provide a paper record of banking transactions, from their services.
Recently Virgin Money announced it would remove passbook savings accounts, resulting in 100,000 customers across the UK being told they will no longer be able to use them to pay in or withdraw cash in person.
Despite several banks now no longer offering the service, Scottish Building Society believes passbooks still have an important role to play in helping customers manage their finances.
Feeling reassured by physical evidence of how much they hold in their accounts many customers prefer to bank this way to manage their finances.
The rise in the cost-of-living crisis has prompted many people to revert back to using physical money in a bid to help them budget, with passbook savings accounts serving as a valuable tool in helping them to manage this.
Removing this service alongside many local branches closing risks leaving many customers feeling alone, particularly during this economic climate Scottish Building Society warned.
Scottish Building Society has made significant investment in its high street branches to provide accessible banking for all and enhance its physical presence in communities, with the society most recently opening a new relationship centre in Edinburgh in June last year.
Meanwhile, as part of its 175th anniversary celebrations, the building society launched the Scottish Building Society Foundation in May last year, an initiative designed to give back to Scottish communities with an incredible £175,000 designated to local charities and good causes across Scotland.
Paul Denton, CEO at Scottish Building Society, said: “As a mutual organisation owned by and run for the benefit of our members, we want to make sure we are providing customers with everything they need to manage their finances in a way which is easy for them and stress free.
“While online services are the main stay for a lot of customers, there is a large portion of people who are not confident in using online banking or simply don’t want to, and they can rightly feel aggrieved that they are facing the prospect of having to do so.
“At Scottish Building Society our purpose is to serve the local community, and this is why we will continue to offer passbooks as a vital tool for customers, as well as investing in our branches to provide accessible, in-person facilities which will serve their local communities. Simply put, we want to ensure our members have choice when it comes to managing their finances, and we believe in offering them that.”
Lisa McKay, Edinburgh Relationship Manager, Scottish Building Society, said: “”At Scottish Building Society we understand how important it is for members to have options, which works for them, for managing their finances. For many, this means having a physical passbook which helps them keep up to date on their accounts.
“Our passbook savings accounts can be a really useful tool in this regard and that’s why we are committed to continuing them. If you are interested in learning more about how passbook savings accounts, please give us a call or visit your local branch and we will be happy to support.”
SCOTTISH Building Society has doubled down on its commitment to offering its customers passbook accounts in a bid to support them with their financial needs.
The move comes after several major banks across the UK announced they would be removing passbooks, which provide a paper record of banking transactions, from their services.
Recently Virgin Money announced it would remove passbook savings accounts, resulting in 100,000 customers across the UK being told they will no longer be able to use them to pay in or withdraw cash in person.
Despite several banks now no longer offering the service, Scottish Building Society believes passbooks still have an important role to play in helping customers manage their finances.
Feeling reassured by physical evidence of how much they hold in their accounts many customers prefer to bank this way to manage their finances.
The rise in the cost-of-living crisis has prompted many people to revert back to using physical money in a bid to help them budget, with passbook savings accounts serving as a valuable tool in helping them to manage this.
Removing this service alongside many local branches closing risks leaving many customers feeling alone, particularly during this economic climate Scottish Building Society warned.
Scottish Building Society has made significant investment in its high street branches to provide accessible banking for all and enhance its physical presence in communities, with the society most recently opening a new relationship centre in Edinburgh in June last year.
Meanwhile, as part of its 175th anniversary celebrations, the building society launched the Scottish Building Society Foundation in May last year, an initiative designed to give back to Scottish communities with an incredible £175,000 designated to local charities and good causes across Scotland.
Paul Denton, CEO at Scottish Building Society, said: “As a mutual organisation owned by and run for the benefit of our members, we want to make sure we are providing customers with everything they need to manage their finances in a way which is easy for them and stress free.
“While online services are the main stay for a lot of customers, there is a large portion of people who are not confident in using online banking or simply don’t want to, and they can rightly feel aggrieved that they are facing the prospect of having to do so.
“At Scottish Building Society our purpose is to serve the local community, and this is why we will continue to offer passbooks as a vital tool for customers, as well as investing in our branches to provide accessible, in-person facilities which will serve their local communities.
“Simply put, we want to ensure our members have choice when it comes to managing their finances, and we believe in offering them that.”
A partnership between Scottish Building Society and Edinburgh Rugby to help school children learn maths and get active outdoors has hit a landmark target.
175 school kids have now gone through the ‘Tackle Maths’ programme.
It helps school pupils aged between 8-12 years-old gain practical maths skills by using rugby and real-life examples to show just how important maths is in everyday life.
From measuring the length and breadth of the pitch, working out the capacity of the stadium and estimating the height of the posts, all mathematical challenges have been designed to encourage pupils to think about maths lessons in a different way.
Launched by Scottish World Cup hero Blair Kinghorn, the programme helps to show children that maths skills can be learned and utilised in many different ways.
Paul Denton, Chief Executive, Scottish Building Society said:“When we started this programme our aim was also to help at least 175 children to see maths can actually be fun.
“We are delighted to have achieved this ahead of schedule and look forward to getting even more kids involved.
“Having a practical learning environment coupled with a rugby professional showing pupils how they use maths and why it is important gives them a different perspective of learning and inspires.
“As the main club partner of Edinburgh Rugby, we want to utilise our position to give back to communities and Tackle Maths has proven to be one of the most impactful programmes we have ever run.
“This is a fantastic achievement and I hope it will continue to inspire kids to think differently about learning, both in and out of the classroom
Douglas Struth, Managing Director, Edinburgh Rugby said: “Edinburgh Rugby is at its heart a community rugby club – working in partnership with Scottish Building Society to deliver this programme to over 175 school kids is a fantastic achievement for both organisations.
“This programme is all about getting kids out of the classroom and learning in a practical manner. Inspiring and promoting learning is values both organisations share so it is very encouraging to see it take off so successful in its first full year.”
The first ever Scottish Building Society Festival took place this weekend with over 100 players competing in the event which celebrates inclusive rugby.
The festival brought together five clubs from across Scotland to play in a tournament, for all ages and abilities.
Edinburgh Inclusive Rugby Team, Fife Clan, Borders Clan, Strathmore Clan and Ayrshire Clan all played in a round-robin tournament.
Inclusive Rugby involves both able bodied players and those with a physical or learning disability, playing in one unified outfit.
Scottish Building Society, as the primary partner of Edinburgh Rugby, hosted the festival at Hive Stadium with the players also being invited along to the Edinburgh Rugby v Connacht match that same evening.
Paul Denton, CEO of Scottish Building Society said: “When we became the main partners with Edinburgh Rugby, we wanted to use our platform to create more opportunities for people to get involved in rugby.
“The festival was born from this value, and it was incredibly encouraging to have over 100 players come along and play in our first festival celebrating inclusive rugby.
“Rugby is a sport for everyone and using our platform we want to create more opportunities to make the game more accessible and inspire more people to get involved.
“Our hope is that people see this festival and for next year we can get even more players along to celebrate inclusiveness and the sport we love.”
Edinburgh Rugby Community Manager, Ruaridh Pye said: “It was a hugely inspiring day hosting the first ever Scottish Building Society Festival here at Hive Stadium.
“Five clubs from across Scotland coming together to celebrate what rugby means is very special and we hope it will inspire those interested in rugby that this is truly a sport for everyone.
“It was such a heartwarming day, and having the players come out at half time of our match against Connacht and receive the cheers from the crowd was a special moment.”
Edinburgh Rugby and Scotland star Darcy Graham presented Hawick Ambulance Station with a donation of £500 and a signed match jersey to thank the hero Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) staff who saved his brother’s life after a horror crash.
Aged 17 at the time, Clark Graham was involved in an accident near the village of Ashkirk in the Borders, north of Hawick, which left him in a coma for three-and-a-half weeks.
Graham, who is now preparing for the Rugby World Cup in France, previously donated £500 to the Hawick station – donated on behalf of the club’s sponsors Scottish Building Society – after winning the team’s Player of The Month last September.
He was once again chosen as Edinburgh’s April’s Player of the Month this year and chose the ambulance service as the beneficiary.
Graham visited Hawick Ambulance Station on Thursday (May 18) to thank Gary Brown, Hawick-based Paramedic, and Jenny Braithwaite, Paramedic who is based in Melrose, who was working at Hawick at the time.
After the call was taken by Iona Walker, Gary and Jenny (pictured with Darcy) were the first crew on scene and rushed Clark to Borders General Hospital, fearing the worst.
Graham said: “It means so much to me and my family. Without the Scottish Ambulance Service and what they did that night at Clark’s accident, he wouldn’t be here, so it’s an easy one for us to give back to them to just kind of say thank you. The quick decisions they made that night thankfully saved Clark’s life.
“It was very emotional meeting the crew. It’s kind of hard to put into words what to say to them. It’s an easy one to for me to pick. It’s not just my family they’ve helped, it’s so many other people’s families and lives they’ve saved from them just doing their job.
“Day to day, it’s what they are here for and we kind of take it for granted almost. Having the ambulance service, having the NHS, everything, we are very lucky to have these services just on a phone call.”
Brown, who has been with the Scottish Ambulance Service for 14 years, said it was “fantastic” of Darcy to donate to SAS, and added: “It was great to meet Darcy and hopefully we can meet Clark soon. The money will be donated to the station, so it will stay in Hawick.”
He said the money will directly benefit the patients the ambulance service attends to.
Speaking of the accident, Brown said: “I remembered it had started snowing that night and there was a light covering over the road. We were the first crew on scene and quite clearly the car Clark had been driving had gone through two fences and into a tree.”
Brown was the first to inspect the vehicle, and after seeing the wreckage of the car – which had suffered “massive damage – feared the worst for who was inside. He added: “Clark was unconscious and obviously very, very ill.”
After assessing the scene, Gary and Jenny realised he needed to be transferred to hospital immediately. Clark was initially taken to Borders General Hospital, before being transferred to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Gary said after he was handed into the care of hospital clinicians, he didn’t think would make it.
Two additional crews staffed by Susan Angus, Technician, and Lee Myers, Paramedic, both of Melrose Station, and Suzanne Little, Advanced Paramedic at Melrose, and Mark Neil, Practice Placement Educator. Malcolm Landells and Rhona Dunn from SAS’s SORT East team were also sent along with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to the scene of the accident. A second passenger, less critical than Clark, also required medical treatment.
Scottish Building Society has donated over £7000 the past two seasons to a range of causes, and Graham said it was great to see first-hand the staff who will benefit and how it will help the community and patient care. The money will used for patient care and is determined by the staff on how it is best spent to help the community.
Paul Denton, Chief Executive Officer, Scottish Building Society added: “We’re very proud to donate to Scottish Ambulance Service in Hawick for the second time.
“It’s a charity which we know is very close to Darcy’s heart, and we are very aware of the lifesaving work they do across the Borders. It’s great to have their work highlighted and supported in this way.”
World’s oldest remaining building society sees major growth in savings and mortgages
Scottish Building Society, the world’s oldest remaining building society, has posted record results for the financial year ended 31 January 2022.
Established in 1848, the mutual has seen its balance sheet grow by nearly 40% in the last 2 years, leading to a pre-tax profit of £2.4m and mortgage assets of £454m.
The Society, which only offers savings and mortgage accounts, ascribed the growth to customers seeking both value and purpose when joining SBS.
The Society’s Chief Executive, Paul Denton said: “We are as committed to our wider purpose today, as we were back in 1848. As a mutual society, we reward our members with fair interest rates whilst responsibly using those funds to provide flexible mortgages, enabling Scottish people to buy homes and get on the property ladder.
“The environment has changed over the years, but that simple strategy has helped the Society survive and thrive towards its 175th anniversary next year.”
As the society is a mutually owned organisation, it has been able to offer its members savings accounts above market average interest rates, helping people get the most out of their money.
Mr. Denton continued: “Despite the historic low base rate, we have continued to pay savings rates above the market average, whilst our income has benefitted by growing our mortgage balances more than 36% in the last two years.
“We are now helping more members buy their homes than ever before, which is something we are incredibly proud of in today’s fierce mortgage market.
“As a mutual, unlike the high street banks, we do not have shareholders, so all profits are reinvested into the business, in areas such as in new digital technologies, improving our member experience and increasing our capital base to support future growth.”
Mr. Denton credits the staff at SBS for their “immense work” during the pandemic as one of the reasons why the society has performed so strongly.
He explained: “It has been without doubt two enormously difficult years from an economic and operational perspective, but our staff have delivered outstanding results despite these major challenges.
“Unlike retail banks who are moving out of towns and cities across the country, we are working harder than ever to provide for our members- be that through online or in-person banking.
“When many of our competitors sought to save money by cutting services, we were looking for ways to help our members, by offering compelling interest rates for savers and have now helped a record number of people own their own home.”
Entries are now open to junior teams across Scotland to win the chance to be put through their paces by Scotland international Hamish Watson at DAM Health Stadium in 2022.
Scottish Building Society has launched a search for a deserving under-18 rugby team to win a bespoke training session from Edinburgh Rugby star, Scotland international and British & Irish Lion, Hamish Watson.
One lucky under-18 squad will receive a specially tailored training session from Watson at Edinburgh Rugby’s newly constructed DAM Health Stadium early next year, with the competition open to junior rugby teams across Scotland, including school sides, established rugby clubs or local community teams.
Led by Watson, with assistance from the Edinburgh Rugby community team, the winning squad can look forward to a masterclass from the back-row star, with the entirety of the session taking place on DAM Health Stadium’s artificial surface.
To enter, all teams need to do is complete this form detailing why they should win the session, sharing details on their team, their ambitions for the season ahead and what they’d like to get out of the session.
Entries must be in by Saturday 8th January 2022.
The winning team will be contacted directly to organise the session that will take place at a time/date TBC in early 2022.
The competition celebrates the partnership between Scottish Building Society and Edinburgh Rugby, which is supporting rugby throughout Scotland.
Paul Denton, Chief Executive Officer for Scottish Building Society, said: “We are excited to be able to offer one team the opportunity to train with one of Scotland’s best players and to gain first-hand experience of his legendary carrying and skills at the breakdown.
“As a mutual we are committed to giving back to our local communities so it’s fantastic to be backing grassroots rugby in this way. I already know some of the great work rugby clubs right across the country are doing both on and off the pitch and I’m really looking forward to seeing the entries as they come in.”
(Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)
Edinburgh Rugby star, Hamish Watson, added: “I’m really excited to launch this initiative with Scottish Building Society and I can’t wait to welcome a deserving Junior side to DAM Health Stadium in 2022.
“I absolutely loved getting tips and picking up skills from pro players when I was young kid, so it’ll be great to give something back and hopefully the boys or girls take something out of the bespoke session.
“I’d encourage any junior side to enter this competition where they’ll get the opportunity to train like the pros at the brand new home of Edinburgh Rugby.”
Scottish Building Society (SBS) has scooped up Building Society of the Year for the third year in a row at the annual Mortgage Introducer Scottish Mortgage Awards, while its CEO Paul Denton was awarded Business Leader of the Year.
The awards ceremony took place at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh on Friday 8th October, celebrating the best of the Scottish property finance market and bringing together some of the most senior operators in the industry.
Scottish Building Society is the oldest remaining building society in the world, offering a range of saving accounts and mortgages for every stage in life.
As a member-based mutual, Scottish Building Society’s focus and purpose is to serve its local communities.
Paul Denton, SBS Chief Executive, said:“The team at Scottish Building Society consistently go above and beyond. Following the trials brought upon by pandemic, it is good to see the hard work and dedication of our people being recognised through these awards.
“To receive Building Society of the Year for the third year in a row is a testament to their hard work, especially when up against such a high calibre of nominees.
“After 173 years customers remain at the heart of our business, and we strive every day to do better. These awards highlight the Society’s enduring success which is founded upon a robust business model, skilled people and a reputation built on trust, confidence and exceptional customer service.”
Robyn Hall, Publishing Director at Mortgage Introducer, said:“Mortgage Introducer is delighted to announce that at this year’s Scottish Mortgage Awards, Scottish Building Society were awarded Building Society of the Year, and Paul Denton was named Business Leader of the Year. Congratulations from everyone at Mortgage Introducer on your well-deserved wins.”
Paul Denton brings a wealth of experience spanning over 30 years, having worked with RBS and the Co-op before joining SBS.
Scottish Building Society, the world’s oldest building society, has today been announced as Edinburgh Rugby’s Main Club Partner in a deal that will last for the next four seasons.
The partnership is the biggest agreement of its kind in the history of both organisations and follows a successful back of shirt deal which has been in place since 2020.
The partnership will see Scottish Building Society feature on the front of the capital side’s home and away match jerseys, and training shirts, as well as having prominent branding within Edinburgh Rugby’s brand-new purpose-built stadium, located in the grounds of BT Murrayfield.
As part of the agreement, Scottish Building Society will also be increasing its work in local communities with involvement in Edinburgh Rugby’s community programmes, including disability inclusive rugby and homeless rugby programmes.
The partnership will also see the two organisations working together to develop a family zone to enhance the match-day experience at the new 7,800 capacity stadium.
This substantial investment in Edinburgh Rugby continues Scottish Building Society’s ongoing commitment to Scottish sport which has included sponsorship of the Scottish Women’s Premier League as well as support for both Heriot’s Rugby and the Southern Knights.
Paul Denton, Chief Executive Officer for Scottish Building Society, said: “Scottish Building Society is the world’s oldest building society so we wanted to work alongside a partner with a proud heritage that shared our values.
“As a mutual building society, Edinburgh Rugby’s core principles of honesty, discipline and togetherness were the perfect fit.
“The club’s focus on supporting and integrating with its local community was central in our decision to support them and dovetails perfectly with our own approach of giving back and we are excited to start supporting Edinburgh Rugby’s fantastic initiatives in order to further enhance the impact.
“With Edinburgh Rugby set to move into its new home and celebrate its 150th year during the course of this sponsorship, it is certainly going to be a really exciting time and we’re incredibly proud that we will be part of that journey.”
Douglas Struth, Managing Director at Edinburgh Rugby, said: “We’re thrilled to announce Scottish Building Society as our new Main Club Partner. They are a recognisable brand and leader within their industry, who have a clear and historic association with the city of Edinburgh.
“Having already been part of the club’s sponsor family for a number of seasons, Scottish Building Society have played an integral role in the club’s journey to date – they now back us ahead of what is set to be a momentous, inaugural year in the club’s new home.
“With record-breaking Season Ticket numbers and the hugely exciting United Rugby Championship launching this September, today’s partnership announcement provides us with further momentum heading in to the 2021/22 campaign.
“This is going to be a hugely exciting partnership for all connected to Edinburgh Rugby and it’s an association that we’re immensely proud of too.
“We can’t wait to kick-off the new season in our brand-new home, and represent the Scottish Building Society brand around the world as we compete in both the United Rugby Championship and European Challenge Cup.”
