Furness Building Society has hosted a series of creative workshops with local schoolchildren to introduce them to money management skills and improve financial literacy in the town. 

Delivered in partnership with the Furness Education and Skills Partnership (FESP), the sessions were also designed to help young people develop their communication and teamwork skills. 

Representatives from Furness Building Society delivered a fun and interactive discussion explaining what money is, why saving matters and how to budget. 

This was followed by a creative and collaborative challenge inviting the children to plan how they’d invest £2m into their town. Working in groups, they were able to choose from a list of options including libraries, parks and youth centres and having planned their funding, they pitched their ideas back to Furness.  

The workshops formed part of a day-long community session organised by FESP at The Bridge community hub to drive up skills amongst Barrow schoolchildren. 

Anthony Kearney, Marketing Implementation Manager at Furness Building Society, commented: “These workshops were purposefully designed to encourage leadership, teamwork and critical thinking amongst Barrow’s younger generations - while also helping them to understand how money can be used to build stronger communities. 

“Improving the financial wellbeing of local people was one of our founding principles when we first opened our doors 160 years ago and it remains just as important today. Through workshops like this and our financial education app, Doshi, we’re continually developing new and accessible ways to empower communities with essential money skills.

“I was extremely impressed by the energy and enthusiasm of the young people who joined us at this invaluable event organised by our partners at the Furness Education and Skills Partnership.”

Gill Stevens at FESP added: “Financial literacy and money management is one of the most important life skills we can foster in young people so we were really pleased to have Furness Building Society join us in Barrow. The team ran some really enjoyable, engaging sessions with local pupils and I have no dout what they shared will prove immensely beneficial for the children’s financial know-how as they grow.”