Presumably this Credit Union is named after the Antigonish Movement which concerned itself with many community ideals, like social development and unity of people for economic improvement, advancement, etc. Anyway, credit unions are brilliant and everyone should be in one. They are a great way to save and borrow money. The interest on their loans is very small. Firstly, you have to apply to join the credit union. It’s a simple enough process — they usually arrange for you to come down with details of your address, identification, and a few other things. Once you’ve joined, you start saving. If you’re looking for a loan at some point, they’ll look over your savings history. Generally speaking, if you’ve been saving a similar amount every week for 13 consecutive weeks you can apply for a loan up to the value of one-and-a-half times your savings. You can’t withdraw your savings at this point. So if you save £30 per week for 13 weeks, you can borrow just under £600. Not that beneficial, you might think, but a) it’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, and b) the interest rate is very low. You can then repay the loan on a weekly basis while simultaneously trying to build up your savings. The real advantage, however, is that after you’ve taken your first loan, all loans thereafter will be up to two-and-a-half times your savings(if you’ve been saving regularly). Depending how long you’ve been in the CU, how regularly you’ve been saving, and how long your branch has been established, you may be able to get loans of up to four times your savings. Say you’re saving up for a car. Instead of taking a huge loan or taking the car on finance(which will have huge rates of interest), you could save £100 per week, for 25 weeks, and potentially take a £10,000 loan. Again, it depends on the aforementioned factors, but the benefits are pretty clear, and the CU has been of huge benefit to countless families over the years. The credit union isn’t as accessible as a bank — it has certain opening hours, and different days/times for deposits or withdrawals, some days doing both, but that’s because it’s more meant as a way of saving and not a current account.