About
Starting Out
Cloughfern Community Credit Union began operating as a Savings group in 1989. Following an examination by the Registrar from the Department of Enterprise Trade and Commerce, 22 Members were approved to operate a credit union. The current Board of directors stands at 12 with a mix of male and female.
Early Successes
One of the early successes of Cloughfern Credit Union was the development of its own computer software programme developed by one of its Directors Ray Perry. The programme was so successful that it was distributed widely accross Northern Ireland.
Another major success came in 1994 when, with the help of a grant from the Belfast Action Teams working within the 'Making Belfast Work' programme, the credit union was able to purchase and erect its own office building on its current site.
Continued Growth
The credit union has grown rapidly over the years. It has continued to operate from its Cloughfern Base but has since purchased the former First Trust bank building in Main Street, Ballyclare. The office there is open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
In recent years, as a result of this growth, the credit union has had to employ staff. Currently the credit union employs 3 full-time members of staff and 3 part-time staff.
Trade Body
Cloughfern Community Credit Union is a member of The United Kingdom Credit Unions (UKCU) trade body.
The Future
The credit union continues to grow with now over 5,000 members. It also has 500 junior members with savings accounts. The credit union anticipates with this level of growth, it will need to continue operating from both its Cloughfern office and its Ballyclare office.
