A charity that helps people who can't get a regular bank account has announced a new chair, because its founder has decided he's done enough good deeds for one lifetime.
Peter Neville spent over five years setting up Guernsey Community Savings, which finally opened its doors in September 2020 to support those whom mainstream banking had apparently decided were too much trouble. Staff noted that the charity has since helped about 200 people who would otherwise have been locked out of the financial system, providing accounts, debit cards, and money-management guidance to many more.
Former banker James Ellis is stepping into Neville's shoes - presumably well-worn from all that charitable legwork. Neville said: "James brings exactly the right blend of financial services experience, charitable involvement and community understanding." Which is a diplomatic way of saying he's not just some random bloke off the street.
Neville added: "The initiatives now being discussed, together with the additional features offered by the new money-transmission platform, reassure me that James's vision aligns perfectly with the aims we set in those early days." Translation: the new guy gets it, and Neville can now retire with a clear conscience.
Ellis, for his part, struck a gracious tone: "The creation of Guernsey Community Savings in 2020 was only possible because of Peter's unique set of qualities that enabled him to create a talented team and the structure to tackle the issues facing the financially excluded in our island." He also noted that Neville will stick around as life president, because apparently retirement doesn't mean you get to stop caring entirely.