Darlington Building Society has been a community based and community focused organisation since it was formed almost one hundred and fifty years ago in 1856. During 2006, the Society will be celebrating this remarkable birthday with a number of events designed to benefit Society members and members of the community that the Society serves.
Darlington Building Society is the country’s 28th largest building society with assets of approximately £550m. It has 13 branches, 2 community branches, one agency and a mortgage shop, all based in County Durham, Tees Valley and North Yorkshire.
The Society’s strapline is “looking after local interests” and this embodies the ethos of the Society. As well as being one of the leading providers of mortgage and investment products, the Society has been looking after the interests of the people of the County Durham and Tees Valley for generations.
For a long time Darlington Building Society has been a major supporter of the region’s local hospices. During 2003, the Society cemented this relationship by launching its innovative Hospice Supporter savings account. This account pays interest to investors but also provides an annual bonus to the following four hospices; St. Teresa’s Hospice in Darlington, Butterwick Hospice Care in Stockton, Teesside Hospice Care Foundation in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool and District Hospice.
The Society is also a great believer in the importance of supporting local sport. Darlington Building Society has sponsored Darlington Football Club for over 50 years, the last 9 years as main shirt sponsor. As well as this high profile relationship the Society supports numerous other smaller sports clubs in the region and is without doubt the region’s number one supporter of grass roots sport.
The Arts also benefit from the Society’s support. Darlington Building Society is the main sponsor of Darlington Civic Theatre, The Castle Players based in Barnard Castle and has just agreed to sponsor The Bowes Museum to enable them to bring history to life in local schools.
Darlington Building Society set up its fund with County Durham Foundation in 1996 and has continued to grow the fund to support the people of Darlington to the present date. The Foundation search out deserving groups and projects to support on our behalf and they do an excellent job of running our fund. Becoming a Platinum Darlington Champion is an superb way for us to continue our ‘grass roots’ support in the borough and we have made a further pledge to grow our fund to help the people of our town to prove our commitment to the community.
Over the years Darlington Building Society has won numerous awards for supporting sport, the arts and charities. Many of the awards were in the form of matched government funding which helps the sponsored organisations do even more with their money.
Recognition has also been received by the Society from numerous organisations dedicated to rewarding business excellence. Darlington Building Society has won the County Durham Business Excellence Award, the Tees Valley Business Award for Community Support on two occasions and the Community Services Award at the Mortgage Finance Gazette Awards on a number of occasions.
For further information please contact:
David Copland
Marketing and Communications Manager
Darlington Building Society
Sentinel House
Lingfield Way
Darlington
Co Durham
DL1 4PR
Phone: 01325 741031
Fax: 01325 741000