We continue to work towards being a truly inclusive company and have made great strides with the launch of our ‘Belonging’ framework - a diversity and inclusion strategy, with the intention of making the Society a place ‘where people bring their best selves’. We aim to create an environment where colleagues feel valued, visible, and heard.

We are also signatories of the Women in Finance Charter, committing us to improve female representation across our business. Females now hold 50% of the senior leadership and board roles within the company.

In the highly unlikely event that our business should experience financial problems we are members of the Financial Services Compensations Scheme (FSCS) so your money, up to a maximum of £85,000, is covered.

Last year saw the beginning of our partnership with FareShare Lancashire & Cumbria who use surplus food from the food industry and deliver it to charities and community groups who really need it. ‘Kinder Kind of Kitchen’ was a region-wide campaign, with the goal to help provide meals and reduce food waste, and, most importantly, to help raise public awareness for lasting results.

£250,000 was initially pledged by The Cumberland to the campaign. From June 1st 2023 to 31st May 2024, our donation to FareShare L&C supported delivery of the equivalent of 577,047 meals, preventing more than 242 tonnes of food waste with a retail saving of at least £521,590.*

The partnership has now extended to include South-West Scotland and a cookbook has been released to share recipes and some of the amazing stories from the local food hubs.

We will always try and help customers in financial difficulty. We will provide guidance and support and adopt a responsible approach to lending for anyone facing issues. Our charitable activities support this approach by prioritising projects which help customers avoid financial problems. Initiatives include our partnership with Everfi to increase financial education in schools.