In 1976 was at the instigation of Rose Dorman and a group of friends from the church who decided they should do something to help themselves and their neighbours make their money stretch further.
The founders of the credit union were all housewives and none had any higher education. With help from other established credit unions the founders learnt the basics of how to get going.
At the launch later in 1977 that attracted 75 members Rose’s husband John became the first treasurer. In the first nine months membership grew to 300 and paid out £3000 in loans. From its early life in a church hall, Dalmuir credit union grew quickly and moved to a school hut in 1983. 1991 saw membership grow to 2700 and lending to £750,000.
In 2001, it became the first credit union in Britain to build its own premises. By this time, Dalmuir had been the largest community credit union in Britain for some years and the then Scottish Secretary, Helen Liddell, opened the new building in the centre of Clydebank, which serves over 6,500 members.
The credit union had a boost in 2012 Clydebank residents were leaving the high street banks behind in favour of the credit union. The credit union believe trust and the old-fashioned personal touch are big factors in attracting the new savers and now can boast an impressive 8,500 members.
In 2015 West Dunbartonshire Council’s Starter for Ten initiative, saw the council give every primary seven pupils in the area £10 to invest in a credit union. Pupils from Gavinburn Primary started paying in money regularly. They know how important it is to build up their savings and they think they really enjoy it.
Both Rose and John have since passed away and further information about them is in the Roll of Honour page.
BBC video, Press cuttings and documents
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