A community banking agreement brokered by a disadvantaged community with a mainstream bank two decades ago offers valuable insights to address financial exclusion today. Niall Alexander, a "community worker by trade" says the "groundswell" in addressing unfairness and financial exclusion is now reaching a peak. People "aren't asking for gold plated taps" – they need very small sums of money, but could turn to illegal lenders if fair and affordable credit isn't available legally. Niall, now Markets and Consumer Insights Manager with Fair4All Finance, covers a lot of ground in this episode and d ..read more

Caz and Darron Burness already had a thriving business – doggy day care, pet-sitting, home boarding and other services – when they spotted an opportunity to purchase a kennels premises. It was the perfect fit. But how to finance the acquisition? A £100,000 loan from BCRS Business Loans unlocked their ambition and growth plans, safeguarded several jobs and has enabled them to create new jobs too. Beacon Barkers is a licensed kennels with onsite groomers and shop. Caz and Darron also offer dogwalking and pet transport and have embarked on an exciting programme to develop the kennels, launch addi ..read more

Imagine yourself on a zero-hours contract, leaving home early in the morning to deliver a sports therapy session. By the time you've spent several hours travelling to the place which booked the session - at your own expense - it's been cancelled. And you don't get paid. Now imagine making that journey in a wheelchair. Carrying a heavy bag in your teeth. And imagine when the session is not cancelled and you do deliver it, your transformative work is valued by participants, but not by your employer. Frustrations like these led Louis Speight, a former European-record-holder in the 800 metre T33 W ..read more

Glasgow Wood Recycling transforms reclaimed wood which could otherwise be wasted into high quality furniture and products.   The social enterprise and charity, launched in 2006, follows the Community Wood Recycling model. It has made furniture from reclaimed timber for a diverse range of customers from the public to hotels, boutique wedding venues, retail outlets, and schools. The business has prevented over four thousand of tonnes of wood from being wasted, has provided exceptional training to hundreds of people and has 19 employees and 45 volunteers. In this episode, Peter Lavelle ..read more

Want to invest in an organisation supporting under-served businesses and disadvantaged communities - and be rewarded with an attractive tax relief for doing so? Community Investment Tax Relief is the answer, according to Katy Ford, chief executive of Foundation East. Foundation East lends to and supports small businesses unable to access mainstream finance. Their CITR Investors can receive up to 25% tax relief spread over 5 years - and unlock affordable finance for businesses which would otherwise be unable to access it. In this episode, Katy gives examples of the businesses which are now thri ..read more

What is Open Banking and how can it help people who are financially vulnerable and financially excluded, including people who are unbanked? How can Open Banking benefit businesses, social enterprises and the self-employed? How will Open Banking help Responsible Finance providers (and credit unions) – and what should they be doing and thinking about? And is there a danger that Open Banking might facilitate discrimination against people who are already financially vulnerable? Faith Reynolds is the Open Banking Consumer Representative. She’s part of a steering group responsible for delivering the ..read more

The Magic Roundabout, banknotes you had to write your name on, micro-lending in 1542 and slurping up energy to create cryptocurrency. There's plenty to think about in this new episode. Danyal Sattar is Chief Executive of Big Issue Invest, which span out of The Big Issue magazine. Big Issue Invest is a responsible finance provider which provides finance from £10,000 to £3m to social enterprises and charities. In this episode Danyal addresses: Should responsible finance providers embrace fintech? How good regulation builds trust. Three wishes for the future of responsible finance.   ..read more

Neil Kadagathur is CEO and co-founder of Creditspring, which he describes as a "new type of credit product designed for people with limited savings specifically for unexpected expenses." Creditspring launched in September 2018 and at the time of recording this podcast has 1000 members. Neil describes how the product works, the motivations behind setting it up, his opinions of the payday loans industry, overdraft fees and the credit card markets in the UK and America, and his thoughts on the future of fintech in the responsible finance space. Creditspring's members pay a monthly fee and are the ..read more

Jennifer Tankard interviews Cliff Rosenthal who has been an influential leader in the United States' community finance movement for two decades. Cliff is the author of the new book, Democratizing Finance - Origins of the Community Development Financial Institutions Movement. In this fascinating and wide ranging discussion, Jennifer asks Cliff about: • the origins of the movement since Benjamin Franklin's endowment of revolving loan funds in 1790, • President Clinton's progress after his campaign promise to launch 100 community development banks and 1000 micro enterprise programmes, • whether C ..read more

Sophie Maxwell is the founder of The Really NEET Project, a college which works with vulnerable young people aged 16 to 24. In 2009 she began running projects in secondary schools with excluded pupils. That led to national awards and setting up the first college in 2011. Sophie describes how her experience of homelessness informed Really NEET's programme to give young people the support they need. Really NEET has secured a range of contracts because "we’re good at what we do” says Sophie, “we can help councils engage a cohort of learners they really struggle with.” She covers winning cont ..read more