A bank in Chalfont St Peter opened its doors on a day they would usually be closed to help new and existing customers.

Colleagues at the Yorkshire Building Society along the village’s High Street were able to assist those in need for three hours on Saturday, September 14 as part of UK Savings Week.

This is an annual campaign that focuses on the benefits of savings – either for those who haven’t started a savings habit or those who could make their savings work harder.

Yorkshire Building Society has also signed up to the Savings Charter from the Money and Pensions service.

This is a set of commitments to help raise the profile of savings in the UK.

By signing the charter, organisations demonstrate that they are committed to help people to save, as part of an industry-wide initiative to build a Nation of Savers. 

Chris Irwin director of savings at Yorkshire Building Society said: “UK Savings Week is an important event in the calendar, to help people establish new savings habits, or make sure their savings are working hard for them. 

“We know accessing help and support from our branch teams is important for our customers, so by opening our branches on Saturday, September 14, we hope many would-be savers who might need a helping hand starting their savings journeys will be able to take advantage.

“Helping people to save is a key part of our purpose at Yorkshire Building Society, offering customers a choice of access is vitally important.  

“Making UK Savings Week accessible for our customers in a way that best suits them, be that in one of our branches, online or via our app, supports our aim to continue to provide real help to our customers and members.”

A recent study launched by the Yorkshire Building Society showed younger people may be missing out on the benefits of saving because they are not confident in their knowledge of financial products, or are reluctant to establish savings habits.

Research from the mutuals Saving Generation Z report showed that when asked, less than half of 16-27-year-olds said they would feel confident in selecting the best savings account for their current goals and were less confident of any generation in their ability to save effectively.

An analysis of ONS data from the same report, showed that around 1.2 million 16-27 year olds don’t save, because they choose not to, rather than because they are not in a position to do so.