Credit Union Celebrates a Decade of Armed Forces Support

Birmingham, UK - 15 October 2025

On Wednesday, 15th October 2025, Serve and Protect Credit Union celebrated ten years of providing dedicated support to service personnel, reservists, veterans, and their families. Over the course of this period, Serve and Protect has grown to become the largest credit union available to the military, serving over 16,000 members across the armed forces community.

The journey began in 2015 when the Ministry of Defence (MoD) selected Serve and Protect, as part of the ‘Joining Forces’ initiative, to offer financial services to the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force. This partnership was built on a shared goal to enhance the financial resilience of military personnel. Given the unique demands of service life, Serve and Protect had an important role to provide reliable support that the armed forces community could count on.

In 2018, Serve and Protect launched its Financial Resilience Programme, which has since become central in its support for the armed forces. Listening to feedback from regiments and units throughout the tri-services, the credit union began delivering targeted educational sessions both in-person and online. In 2025 alone, the over 50 in-person sessions have been delivered at military establishments for free. The credit union's financial education offering received special recognition in September, having been highly commended at the Workplace Savings & Benefits awards.

A cornerstone of the credit union's offering is making it simple for members to build financial security. Through a payroll deduction facility enabled via the MoD, military personnel can automaticaly transfer a small monthly savings contribution to their account. This pay yourself first approach makes saving effortless and reduces reliance on credit for unexpected expenses.

Sheldon, a member of the British Army, commented, “The credit union has helped me in a major way. I have problems saving. I’m just not disciplined when it comes to saving. It definitely helps me because it comes directly out of my salary at the end of the month, so I don’t even realise that it’s out of my pay.”

When savings aren’t quite enough to cover large expenses, the credit union also offers affordable loans. A 2025 survey found that 35% of military respondents had been denied a financial service before joining the credit union, highlighting the importance of having affordable access to credit.

Rob Lovesey, Business Development Manager for Serve and Protect, shared his thoughts on this significant milestone: “We feel immense pride in supporting those who serve and have served our nation. Over the years, connecting with the armed forces community has given us real insight into the financial challenges faced by service personnel and their families. This has helped us shape the range of financial education we deliver, pushing us to create even better solutions to help improve the long-term financial resilience of our members. The most rewarding part is hearing from individuals whose lives have been positively changed by our support. That’s what keeps us going, as we remain committed to being a safe, reliable place for service personnel, reservists, veterans and their families to turn to when they need financial support.”

About Serve and Protect Credit Union

Serve and Protect Credit Union are a not-for-profit cooperative providing ethical financial services to employees of the police, prison, probation, military, fire, and health services across Britain. Serving over 50,000 members, Serve and Protect help key workers to save conveniently from their wages and access affordable credit when required.

A signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant since 2016 and holder of the Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award since 2020, Serve and Protect is committed to enhancing the financial resilience of those who serve and have served our nation.

For more information, visit: www.serveandprotectcu.co.uk

Please direct any queries to:

Chris Kerrigan, Marketing Manager
ckerrigan@serveandprotectcu.co.uk
0121 700 1204