Newcastle Building Society were the proud headline sponsor of the Newcastle Mela, as part of its commitment to fostering inclusion, diversity and positive change in its communities.
Held every year over the August bank holiday weekend, the Mela is the largest multicultural event in the North East, attracting more than 40,000 visitors from across the region. Bringing together a vibrant mix of food, music, art, and entertainment there is something for everyone to experience the rich heritages of Pakistani, Bengali, Indian, and other South Asian cultures. As part of the festivities, we also had our own stall where colleagues welcomed visitors to the Mela, raised awareness of our community activities, and gave away branded merchandise.
Jennie Pitt, Head of Diversity Equity and Inclusion
“Our purpose is connecting our communities with a better financial future, and a core part of this is by fostering inclusion, diversity and positive change in our communities. Sponsoring events like the Mela, not only help deliver on this commitment, they are also a great opportunity for us to learn more about the diverse communities that make up our region, and build new relationships with them.”
This year, on its 30th anniversary, NE1 kicked off celebrations with a ‘Mela in the City’ event taking place on Saturday at Monument against the backdrop of our upcoming flagship community branch. The event then moved on to its traditionally held location at Newcastle’s Exhibition Park on Sunday and Monday.
As part of our commitment to providing financial services that are easily accessible, we will be moving our current branch in the city, from Northumberland Street to a new flagship location beside Monument. The relocation is part of our wider multi-year, multi-million pound investment into our branch network.
Since 2015, more than 6,000 bank branches have closed across the UK, forcing people to travel further and making it harder for some to manage their finances. We’re proud to be bucking this trend, as we find new ways to innovate and grow our branches.
Earlier this year, we opened our brand new community partnership branch in North Shields, which sees us share space with YMCA North Tyneside in their popular community building. We have also announced plans for our 32nd branch in Pickering, to help restore access to financial services after the last bank in town announced they are closing in January 2025.
Image caption: From front to back: Taj Mohammed, chair person of Newcastle Asian Arts & Music (NAAM), Andrew Haigh, chief executive officer at Newcastle Building Society, Jennie Pitt, head of diversity, equity & inclusion at Newcastle Building Society, Yaqoob Mohammed, member of Newcastle Asian Arts & Music, Karen McKenna, Newcastle City Council, Umar Bilal financial crime compliance specialist at Newcastle Building Society.
