A local building society which has been in our town since the 1960s has reopened after refurbishment.

On Monday 22 May, Leek Building Society reopened their Macclesfield branch following a significant renovation project.

After initiating their refurbishment programme in 2021 with their flagship branch in Leek, Macclesfield was the ninth of the Society's 12 branches to be transformed.

Since it closed on 21 April, the Macclesfield branch has undergone a complete makeover to better reflect the building society's brand and offer a range of new and improved features for their members.  

Five people work at their Chestergate office, which customers can all come in and see.

The new community wall offers local community groups and charitable organisations in the wider Macclesfield area, a place to promote their upcoming events and activities, and members can now browse the leekbs.co.uk website using the new iPad area.

Thanks to the addition of an engagement zone, customers can now comfortably sit away from the counter and speak to a member of the team about any queries they have. The branch entrance remains equipped with an automatic door to maintain maximum accessibility for members.

As well as some of their branch staff team being from our town, the branch's new look and feel really resonates with the Macclesfield area, thanks to its new meeting rooms named Bollin and Silk.

The Macclesfield branch now has extended opening hours of 9:00am - 2:00pm, Monday to Friday and 9:15am – 12:00 noon on Saturdays, giving members more flexibility on when they can visit. 

It was Mayor Wilcock's second official appointment as Mayor. He is pictured with Leek Building Society's Ronnie McNeil (left). (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Macclesfield Nub News)

Ronnie McNeil, Branch Manager at Macclesfield and a resident of Macclesfield herself, said:

"I'm thrilled with the new look of the branch following its refurbishment.

"We're looking forward to welcoming our existing members back, as well as any potential new customers. One of my favourite features is our new engagement zone which allows us to address our members' non-transactional needs away from the counter. 

"It was important with the Society to show a commitment to the town that we are here to stay on the high street. And in order to do that we wanted to bring the branches up to date and modernise them.

The multi award-winning firm has been in Macclesfield for 58 years. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Macclesfield Nub News)

"If you're in the area, pop into the branch to see the transformed space for yourself and say hello to the team!"

Ronnie and her team were proud to have the support of the new Macclesfield Town Mayor, Chris Wilcock, who came to visit the newly transformed space to officially reopen the branch with a ceremonial ribbon cut.

"Leek Building Society offers services in savings, mortgages, and independent financial advice. The latter of which, is very rare on the high street these days."

"We also offer home insurance, and pride ourselves on a really personable service to our customers who see us face-to-face rather than through a computer. That is really important to us.

Leek Building Society's premises shut for a month. But their services continued. However, in that month their five staff members volunteered in the community like at the East Cheshire Hospice Shop in Poynton. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Macclesfield Nub News)

"I love getting to know the customers, and doing our bit in the community as well. We support East Cheshire Hospice, Silklife Foodbank and The Rossendale Trust.

"During the refurbishment we all did volunteer days at our three chosen charities. From volunteering in the East Cheshire Hospice shop to painting the toilets at Silklife Foodbank.

While other financial institutions are reducing their presence by closing branches, these renovations demonstrate Leek Building Society's ongoing commitment to local high streets across Cheshire, Staffordshire,, Derbyshire, and Shropshire.

 It is the first refurbishment of Leek Building Society Macclesfield in over 20 years.

They are located next to Nomas Gastrobar on Chestergate's east side.

Their presence in Macclesfield dates back to 1965.

Alison Glimmervald, Branch Network Business Development Manager at Leek Building Society added: "The staff is what sets us apart."

"We have a fantastic team in Macclesfield who are very passionate about doing the right thing for our customers."

They're located at 36 Chestergate, Macclesfield SK11 6BA. Or you can call them via 01625 423659. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Macclesfield Nub News)

Across the shires, Leek Building Society will continue their refurbishment programme, with their Hanley branch next in line to close for renovations on 19 May.

Macclesfield was the last Cheshire premises to be spruced up.

Macclesfield: For more information on Leek Building Society, please visit www.leekbs.co.uk. 

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