Green project youngsters check into Bank

The eight Year 10 students from Highfield School, Letchworth, were based at Redwood Bank’s Broadway offices for work experience, working on a special green project from Monday, February 10.
 

The 14 and 15-year-olds spent time with each department to try to identify ways in which the bank could become carbon neutral.
 

Left to right: Nicholas Kepka, Amy Symonds, Harlene Liddar, Dan Stevens, Hope Monahan, Charlie Varley, Ale Tagliafierro.
 

Redwood Bank project manager Jackie Baker, who planned the project, said: “We were excited to have this group of students with us. It’s about helping the next generation of workers and giving them a chance to see what it is like to work for a Challenger Bank and in an office environment. Without work experience, some students may not be able to experience this before making their first career decision.
 

“By presenting them with a project, we hoped that they could identify ideas that we wouldn’t necessarily think of, and possibly take some back to the school, as well as giving us areas to change. It might mean that, in a couple of years’ time, they may want to join us at Redwood, recognising that we are forward thinking and environmentally conscious – and that they enjoyed their time with us.” 
 

Redwood, which launched in August 2017 as the first UK business bank to be ‘born’ in the cloud, plans to welcome another group of young people to their premises in July.
 

Mrs Baker said: “We hope that they understand a bit more about banking and what it’s like to work in an office environment, but also feel that they have added value and benefited us by completing their project and coming up with new ideas that we can look to implement. 
 

“We didn’t want them to come in and just make cups of tea, we wanted them to really make a difference.”
 

Redwood have supported providing work experience before and plan to make this a more regular event going forward.

For further information, visit www.redwoodbank.co.uk

Download a PDF of this press release
 

Notes to editors

For further details contact Laura Pearce at Strand PR on laura@strand-pr.co.uk or 01763 274674 / 07903 106405.
 

Redwood Bank was launched in August 2017, becoming Britain’s newest business bank for SMEs and completing its ‘mobilisation’ phase just over four months after securing its initial banking licence in April 2017. Redwood Bank offers secured SME mortgages for business owners, as well as for experienced commercial and residential property investors. It delivers fast and efficient mortgage decisions to help their business customers seize property opportunities, and also offers competitive business savings accounts. Redwood Bank was founded by Jonathan Rowland and Gary Wilkinson. It has a unique private-public ownership structure, in which Warrington Borough Council has a one-third stake