Market Harborough Building Society said it has committed £1 million to community causes over the past three years, as it positioned the figure as evidence of a broader effort to embed local support into the way it operates as a mutual lender.
The building society, which operates in complex case and bridging finance, said funding has already been delivered through a range of projects, with further money held in its charitable foundation for future use.
The lender said the milestone had come through its Thrive! agenda, launched in 2023, which it described as a framework for directing support towards customers and communities while reinforcing its mutual model.
Iain Kirkpatrick (pictured), chief executive of Market Harborough Building Society, said: “Reaching £1 million is something we are incredibly proud of, but it is not about the number.
“It is about what that investment makes possible for the people and communities we serve. As a mutual, our success is shared.
“Every savings account, every mortgage and every decision we make feeds back into helping our customers and communities thrive.”
The society said the agenda was created after it considered whether its community support fully reflected its role as a lender focused on long-term stability rather than short-term gain.
Its first major step came in January 2023, when it donated £100,000 to local foodbanks in its core area to support households dealing with cost-of-living pressures.
Since then, the programme has broadened to include work around financial confidence, resilience and opportunity. More recently, the society has focused on younger people through its Thrive! Forward programme, which it said is centred on financial resilience, mental wellbeing and employability skills.
Other support highlighted by the lender includes help for families facing cost-of-living pressures, backing for the introduction of a OneBanx machine in Market Harborough after high street bank closures, opening its Newcombe House head office for community use, and working with the Leicester & Rutland Community Foundation.
According to the society, it is now supporting more than 1,300 young people through Thrive! Forward. It also said more than 5,000 people attended community activities and events at Newcombe House over the past year, while more than 300 local groups and organisations have received support through volunteering, community hub space, funding and prize draw donations.
Market Harborough Building Society said the initiative is now embedded in its wider business, shaping how it makes decisions and how it reinvests profits for members and communities.
The announcement underlines how mutual lenders continue to use community investment as part of their wider identity, tying local support to member benefit and long-term resilience rather than treating it as a standalone corporate responsibility programme.
