With the news that Frome’s Natwest branch will close on 11th May, and HSBC will also close its doors on the 6th June, Councillor Anita Collier, Leader of the Council gave the following statement:
“We are disappointed to hear that Frome will lose two of it’s high street banks in the coming months. We understand that people are using bank branches much less than in previous years with nine in ten customers’ contact with the bank now being completed by telephone, internet, or smartphone, and 99% of cash withdrawals made at an ATM. However, for some members of the community this will be a real blow.
Over the coming months HSBC have said they will support their customers by running community pop up events, which offer financial education as well as support with digital banking and fraud awareness. One-to-one appointments will also be available for those who might have difficult accessing alternative ways of banking and they are able to provide vulnerable customers with free tablets to help them access our digital services.
Natwest are also encouraging customers to visit the branch where their colleagues will be ready to answer any questions.
The Health Connections team at Frome Medical Practice are also able to help people get digitally connected. They run a Digital Café at the Cheese and Grain every Thursday from 10 – 11:30am, to assist those struggling to understand their devices or with questions about their technology. Frome Community Education also run sessions upstairs at the Cheese and Grain on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10am – 12pm.
We are looking into how the building will be used going forward so please keep an eye out on our website and social media for further updates.”
You can read both letters here:
