Cumberland Building Society's (CBS) Barrow branch is blowing out thirty-five candles on its anniversary cake, marking over three decades of dedication to community and customer service.

The Barrow branch opened in 1988, and Linda Leech has been there the whole time.

She said: “It's really nice to see young couples coming in and starting off with their mortgages, and then coming back in to open young savers accounts for their children.

“Now we’re getting to the stage where some of those children are looking for mortgages, so it's like a full circle."

She laughed that it makes her "feel very old".

CBS continues to flourish elsewhere, with their Preston branch poised to mark half a century of service this week, while the Whitehaven, Egremont, Kendal, and Wigton branches celebrate the big 40.

Claire Crossan joined the Cumberland as a cashier in 1987, but for the past two years has worked as the customer experience manager.

“When I joined we didn't actually have computers, we just hand-wrote everything. We hand-wrote a customer passbook, and a transaction sheet, and those sheets were posted every night and then processed by head office the next day," she said.

“So when I look back, it was a really manual process compared to today. The way we do things has developed significantly over the years.

“Some customers still love coming in to update their passbooks, but now some people want to bank online or by telephone. So it isn't just about the face-to-face experience - it's a whole customer experience, and that is one of the biggest changes that I've seen throughout my career."

The rapport CBS team shares with customers remains crucial, according to Rebecca Gibson, Cluster Manager.

The ten-strong crew at Barrow are especially lauded for their enduring relationships with customers.

She said: “Barclays is closing its branch in November and that has created some uncertainty for people, but our customers really like that we’re open six days a week and that they can get help with their current accounts face-to-face.

“People appreciate the face-to-face interaction - they like to pop in and see us or ring through to the branch and speak with somebody they know - that’s because we build up a rapport with long-standing customers.”

Beyond customer service, the CBS Barrow team often extends their assistance to the community.

Past ventures include raising £1,100 for charity Love Barrow through a sponsored skydive by customer advisor Tasha Croft and revitalising the Salvation Army hallway through a repainting project.

They are also proud sponsors of Dalton Juniors Football Club.