One day we’ll look back at 2020 and remember it as the year everything changed.

All our lives will forever be bookmarked with ‘before’ and ‘after’ these times which have brought to us all, fundamental change, challenge and sometimes, sadly distress – in our personal lives and in our careers, at home, at work and in our communities.

We’re used to dealing with change in the world of financial services and many of us have worked through other ‘once in a generation’ events.

So whilst these are unquestionably difficult times, there is a sense that we will make it through. However, many in our communities are less fortunate and in so many ways the pandemic has disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable people in society.

For every minor inconvenience one person may face, there’s someone else dealing with the loss of a loved one, the mental health challenges of isolation or wondering how they’re going to support themselves and their family if that looming redundancy kicks in.

So what should our response be to this most human of crises? How can we possibly do enough when faced with the pain and grief of a generation-defining pandemic? As we continue to keep our distance physically, it’s vital that we work together to support those who need help in navigating what is becoming a very different world.

Like other mutuals, Newcastle Building Society is focused on our Members and communities, driven by a purpose-led strategy which is more relevant than ever and which challenges us to think beyond the essential financial products and services we provide.

In 2020 we made it an even bigger priority to increase support for our region’s local communities. It has been our privilege to support organisations and individuals right across our region who give so much of themselves to truly make a difference for the benefit of others.

In the early stages of the pandemic we supported the launch of the region’s Coronavirus Response and Recovery Fund and also made significant targeted grants to further the work of local cancer and hospice charities. We also backed charities supporting issues around dementia and elderly isolation; the homeless and vulnerably housed; and food poverty and food distribution charities.

Financial support is only one element of our response, because we know that only by working closely with a broad range of stakeholders from our communities can we truly create impact and help drive our region’s recovery.

Newcastle United Foundation

Building on a long tradition of working with like-minded partners to support local communities, the Society announced a six-year partnership with Newcastle United Foundation.

The £1.1 million commitment means we will support their development of a state-of-the-art hub for sports, education and wellbeing.

We are also a partner of the Foundation’s NU:Futures programme, a learning and skills outreach project which in 2019 supported more than 50,000 schoolchildren plus hundreds of young people not in education, employment and training across North of Tyne.

In seeking new ways to use technology to bring communities closer together, the Society entered a partnership with the National Innovation Centre for Ageing and tech for good company, onHand.

This Newcastle-based pilot connects Society colleague volunteers with older people needing support with minor tasks via a mobile app, with the potential to revolutionise the approach to volunteering well beyond the coronavirus crisis.

Already nearly 500 volunteering tasks have been completed by Society colleagues through the onHand app, supporting older or isolating adults with simple tasks.

It has been great to see how this pilot has expanded to include volunteers from other businesses, coming together to support their communities.

Practical support

We also found new ways of working with local partners to deliver practical support where it is most needed. In April, we worked with a distillery in the Yorkshire Dales to purchase and distribute a free supply of 500 bottles of hand sanitiser throughout communities in the Upper Dales.

And we partnered with a Newcastle-based hand cream manufacturer, Nursem, to purchase a supply of their restorative hand cream for our branch and office-based colleagues who were suffering from the drying effects of continuous use of sanitiser.

As a way of showing our gratitude to the NHS, we partnered with Nursem to make a joint donation of a month’s supply of hand cream to every nurse and clinician across the Northumberland NHS Healthcare Trust; benefitting 7,500 doctors and nurses.

At a regional level we worked with the business chambers of Wallsend, North Shields and Whitley Bay to launch a ‘digital high street’ called Buy Local North Tyneside, supporting local businesses during the first national lockdown and beyond in a bid to encourage shoppers to keep connected with their high street.

We know that whatever we do, in absolute terms our contribution can only be small and will never be enough; but we hope we can do at least something to support the amazing people who do so much in our communities and that perhaps in some way, we can encourage others to do the same.

Navigating our way through the world after the pandemic will require us all to roll up our sleeves and get stuck in just as much as 2020, so we’ll need the energy, inspiration and dedication of all our partners to find new ways to work together and continue to adapt how we support our customers and communities.

Andrew Haigh is chief executive of Newcastle Building Society