Volunteers’ Week – Mark’s making a difference
Throughout the week, we’re bringing you stories from both staff and customers who volunteer their time to support good causes.
Support Services Manager of the SHS Shrewsbury Team for the Wrekin Housing Group, Mark Perez, volunteers his time supporting Just Credit Union on the Board of Directors. Mark discusses his passion for helping more people become financially stable in the community.
“I’ve been volunteering for Just Credit Union for 5 years now and I’m just starting my third year as Chair of the board. In this role I work with the Chief Officer as part of a senior management team who provide strategic oversight to the day to day running of Just Credit Union. It involves deciding on suitable policies and procedures whilst ensuring that the organisation is being appropriately directed.
“I’ve worked in financial inclusion for around 20 years and in that time I’ve witnessed so many people who are financially excluded from mainstream credit. This means they are unable to access loans from various banks either because they’re not looking to borrow enough money or because their credit history isn’t up to a suitable standard. Unfortunately, this leads to people turning to predatory lenders or loan sharks who charge excessive rates for small loans which for many becomes a debt for life. These predatory lenders might threaten physical violence against them, their family members or personal property if they don’t repay the loans.
“Just Credit Union are there to support these people. To offer them the opportunity to access affordable loans and to signpost them to other organisations if they have other challenges in their lives too. It gives people the chance to come up with savings of their own for the first time in their lives, which is really nice to be part of. It’s also important to us that people can become more financially self-sufficient over time, so that they can learn how to save – often we have people who borrow and re-borrow from us but the size of the loans diminish more and more each time they need a loan, as they become more financially independent.
“Prior to volunteering, I had been made redundant from my previous job and was looking to retrain in something new. Taking on this voluntary role gave me the chance to develop new skills which supported my application for the manager position I currently operate in at Wrekin.
“When I started volunteering, I was slightly intimidated, because on the board there were retired accountants and solicitors who knew the company intimately, compared to my understanding at the time. Some of these board members have been there right from the start, but they wanted the same things as me so I settled in quite quickly. Over the years my role has developed from one of the Directors to Board Secretary where I would write the minutes for the meetings and sign official documents, then I stepped up to Chair of the Board, which I’m enjoying.
“Personally, I’m really proud that we’ve been able to continue to deliver our services through the pandemic with minimal disruption, that’s down to the front line staff who have been brilliant throughout. We regularly hear some of the success stories that have continued through such a challenging time, it’s a great achievement. We want to help as many people as possible so to see them empowered by creating a savings pot for themselves and their families is what it’s all about.
To find out more about Just Credit Union please click here.
2nd June 2021