Team Harpenden Building Society Great Big Walk for Herts 2024
Our colleagues Emma Brown, King Wan and Amanda Andrews dusted down their walking boots and took part in the Great Big Walk for Herts on the 28th September.
Our team were 3 out of 23 participants altogether and what started out to be a planned 13 mile route, soon ended up being a very tough 16 miles due to recent flooding in fields. A few detours were needed, luckily the weather on the day played its part as it was a beautiful sunny day.
Our team managed to complete the challenge and raised a total of £725 for Hertfordshire Mind Network. The amount raised has been included in the grand total of £4,241 raised so far on behalf of the entire day’s 23 participants. All these funds will go towards a great cause helping so many children currently experiencing mental ill health in Hertfordshire.
Hertfordshire Mind Network work across Hertfordshire to support positive mental health and wellbeing. They provide a diverse range of services from their eight Wellbeing Centres and other venues across the county.
Funded locally, their services are available to all residents in Hertfordshire aged 18+ and they offer dedicated services for 5-18 year-olds. Their aim is to make sure that no-one has to face a mental health problem alone.
They are a local ‘Mind’, affiliated to national Mind, the leading mental health charity in England and Wales, and also Harpenden Building Society’s chosen charity of the year for 2024. This means they are an independent charity responsible for raising their own funds through contracts, grants and fundraising.
Thames Bridge Walk for Mind
On the 14th of September 2024 Isabel Hare and Estelle Head from our Leighton Buzzard branch took part in the Thames Bridge Trek 10K in aid of our chosen charity of the year, Mind, joining over 2000 participants. On the same day there was also a 25K walk which took in more of the sites of London.
The walk, which was 10.57km took place on a beautiful sunny day, starting at The Oval cricket ground. The walk took our team along both sides of the River Thames taking in sights such as Big Ben and the Tower of London, and it took approximately 2.5 hours to complete. As well as walking the South Bank in its entirety, the walk also took in the Millennium Bridge, Southwark Bridge, London Bridge and Tower Bridge, finishing at Southwark Park with a picnic lunch and a medal for everyone’s efforts.
With the generosity of our Harpenden colleagues, friends, and family, our team were able to raise an amazing £430 for Mind.
It was a great experience, and our team would highly recommend the event to everyone. For more info on this event and others like it, you can visit their website www.ultrachallenge.com.
Related Articles
Industry
JUN 09, 2026
Harpenden launch Expat mortgages
FOR INTERMEDIARY/PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS ONLY. NOT FOR CONSUMER USE.
Industry
MAY 26, 2026
Member Notice – Harpenden Online scheduled maintenance
Community
MAY 20, 2026
Jon’s Savings Blog – ISA Changes in 2027
There’s a famous saying: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second‑best time is now.” Well, when it comes to ISAs… the tree is about to get a little smaller.
Industry
APR 22, 2026
Member Notice – Staff training 23rd April
Latest News
APR 17, 2026
A Q&A with our CEO Tracie
Here’s a quick Q&A from our CEO Tracie Meadows diving into our new rebrand.
Industry
JAN 22, 2026
We celebrate our new branch opening in Harpenden
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our brand-new branch, located right on the High Street, in one of the busiest areas of Harpenden. The doors opened on the 15th of January, with the event being kicked off by celebrations and excitement from colleagues and members alike. Local members were offered the chance to visit and be a VIP guest to see the grand opening and were greeted by some food and hot drinks while they got to have a look around the new branch or ask our branch team any questions that they had. It was lovely to see so many members come and show their support for us. Also there to show their support were colleagues from the Harpenden Hopper, a local charity that we have supported for a few years. We were also joined by both the Mayor of Harpenden as well as our local MP. After some lovely speeches from our Chair and the Mayor all about the community-focus of the branch, the ribbon was cut, and our new Harpenden branch was declared officially open. You might notice a refreshed look to our brand both inside and outside the building. Our new branch aims to deliver confidence to our members. Being a mutual, our focus will always be about putting our members first. The branch is a nod to our heritage within Harpenden, as well as our renewed commitment to the community and our members. The customer experience is always at the front of our minds, and the new branch has been designed with this in mind. The colourful interior, while looking refreshed and playful, creates a welcoming atmosphere for our friendly branch team to help customers in the best way they can. This branch also comes with a technical upgrade, with iPads and digital screens to aid in the member's experience. With these new upgrades, we can assure our members that the clarity and trust they hold with the Society is still there and isn't going away any time soon. Our branch colleagues are as can-do and helpful as ever, but with a larger and more prominent location, we are setting our sights on an improved future. Tracie Meadows, the CEO of Harpenden Building Society said: "We at Harpenden Building Society always put our members first. Our new branch is just that. It's us giving back to our members and the community in Harpenden." She continued that, "We're giving our customers a better experience, while still being the friendly building society that's always ready to lend a hand. We want people to leave the branch feeling confident in us, and in their financial decisions." Our new Harpenden branch represents an exciting next step for the Society, and is just the beginning - there's definitely more to look forward to in the future.
Industry
DEC 01, 2025
FSCS protection limit increase
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) has increased the protection limit from £85,000 to £120,000 from 1st December 2025. This means if you hold deposits or savings with a building society, bank, credit union, or other UK-authorised financial firm, and they go out of business, FSCS can provide compensation up to £120,000 per eligible person, per authorised firm. Temporary high balance protection also applies for up to six months, covering up to £1.4 million for large one-off deposits from events like property sales, redundancy payments, or inheritances. We will be communicating this change to our members shortly and will revise our materials to reflect the increase in due course. For further information visit www.fscs.org.uk.
Community
OCT 15, 2025
Jon’s savings blog – The importance of talking about money
Money. It’s not going away, and it’s one of the most essential parts of our lives, and yet, for many, it’s still one of the hardest things to talk about. Whether it’s how much we earn, how much we save, or how we manage debt, money conversations are often avoided due to discomfort, fear of judgment, or simply not knowing where to start.