All branches – Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, Darlington, Guisborough, Middlesbrough, Northallerton, Redcar, Stockton and Yarm – will be back open on Saturdays from 9am to 2pm this weekend.

Branches have remained open on weekdays with restricted opening hours throughout the lockdown to help maintain a service for members, but they have remained closed on Saturdays for the majority of the past year.

Clare Wilson, branch operations manager at Darlington Building Society, said: “We have followed all the government guidelines to keep members and staff safe, but now is the right time to return to some kind of normality.

“Members have been extremely grateful for the service we have provided in extremely challenging circumstances over the past year, and we are looking forward to now being able to welcome them at weekends too.”