Steph joined the Board as our Loans Director in 2018, having been a Volunteer Loan Officer since the Credit Union opened in 2013.  She has many years’ experience in business, dealing with spreadsheets and targets whilst balancing finances. All of her working life has been in a customer focused environment which enabled her to gain a real understanding of people.

She has been involved with the Credit Union since the steering group first began searching for volunteers in 2012. Contributing to the decoration of the premises and being one of the first Volunteer Loan Officers. From the beginning she has been involved in the development and growth of the loan side of the credit union, attending training events at other credit unions, helping to develop the loan process and documentation, serving customers and promoting us through local schools.

From an early age Steph has been involved in customer focused positions even before leaving school with her parents owning a newsagents. From there she became a merchandiser in wholesale news whilst balancing her children and a running a small business from home. The next 13 years were spent at Argos, working up to Assistant Manager and covering the new Whitehaven store as a temporary manager until a permanent manager could be found. A career change then propelled me into the estate agency business as a sales negotiator before finally becoming self-employed once again, this time as a laser technician, opening an aesthetics business in the town.

Over the years Steph been involved in various small local charity events, with the most recent offering wellness services free of charge as a fund raiser for the Bluebell Foundation and volunteering services to support local business initiatives promoting a healthy work life balance.