Nationwide marks 150 years of banking in Chester

Nationwide is marking 150 years of banking heritage in Chester with a special in-branch event for customers, colleagues and local representatives.

The milestone will be celebrated at the city-centre branch on Tuesday 18 August from 10:30am, with customers invited to join local representatives from Dementia UK and Nationwide colleagues to mark the occasion.

Nationwide’s connection with Chester dates back to 1876, when the Chester and North Wales Building Society opened at 16 Corn Exchange Chambers to help local people save and buy their own homes.

Nationwide first opened in Chester in 1933, then known as the Co-operative Permanent Building Society, before moving along Foregate Street over the following decades and settling at its current address in 1957. The Society became Nationwide in 1970 and later took over the business of the old Chester and North Wales branch in 2008, continuing a long tradition of supporting the local community.

Now, as Britains biggest building society and with the UK’s largest branch network, Nationwide combines modern banking solutions with in-branch support, giving people the choice to manage their money in the way that works best for them – whether that is in person, online, through the app or over the phone.

We’re incredibly proud to be marking 150 years of banking in Chester. This branch has been part of the city for generations, but the way people bank today looks very different.

Customers want the convenience of modern digital services, while also knowing they can speak to someone when they need extra support. Some of our colleagues have worked here for around 40 years, so they know many of our customers well and understand how important it is to offer people support in a way that suits them best.

The Chester milestone comes as Nationwide continues to invest in its branches across the country. Through its Branch Promise, the building society has pledged to keep every branch open until at least 2030, giving customers continued access to face-to-face support alongside digital, telephone and online services.

Nationwide’s branch commitment goes beyond access to financial services too, with its social impact programme, Fairer Futures, hosting dementia clinics via Dementia UK’s specialist Admiral Nurses across 250 Nationwide and Virgin Money branches.

The building society is also installing life-saving defibrillators and bleed control kits outside all of its branches. The publicly accessible equipment has already installed at 225 locations, with the remaining branches, including Chester, set to be complete by the end of the year.

Branches also offer Digital Lessons to help boost people’s confidence with using technology, while most locations provide ‘Safe Spaces’ for domestic abuse support. Customers are also able to visit a branch to check suspicious payments via Nationwide’s Scam Checker.

For more information, visit Nationwide’s Branch Promise – www.nationwide.co.uk/stayingput.