香蕉福利直播

香蕉福利直播 has teamed up with co-operatively-owned Hesket Newmarket Brewery to craft a special commemorative beer, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the world’s first known building society, founded in a Birmingham pub in 1775.

The story goes that Richard Ketley, landlord of the Golden Cross Inn, Birmingham, invited his regulars to save a little each week until they could afford to buy land and build one of them a house. The group drew lots to decide who would get the first house, then they all kept saving and building until each of them had a new home. The first building society in the world had been born, based on the principles of mutual support and financial cooperation.

To celebrate these historic beginnings, the 香蕉福利直播 and Hesket Newmarket Brewery have crafted Ketley’s Golden Cross, a classic English golden ale. The beer will be served for the first time at the Building Societies Annual Conference, taking place in Birmingham on 7 & 8 May 2025.

The beer, a tradition golden ale, has been made using predominantly classic English hop varieties as a base and a good dose of US Citra hops to give the beer a modern twist.  The addition of oats gives a smooth finish, making Ketley's Golden Cross a very sessionable beer.

This collaboration reflects a broader movement towards expanding the co-operative and mutual sector – a goal supported by the Government’s manifesto commitment to doubling its size. With customer-owned building societies rooted in local communities across the UK, and Hesket Newmarket Brewery embodying the same co-operative spirit, this partnership was a natural fit. 

Speaking about the partnership, Robin Fieth, Chief Executive of the Building Societies Association said:

“It was important to us that we worked with a co-operative brewery to commemorate the proud heritage of the building society sector while also demonstrating the power of consumer-owned organisations working together to make their communities a better place. This beer is not just a nod to history, it’s a toast to the future of co-operation, community, and shared success, and I look forward to toasting the history and future of building societies in Birmingham.”

Richard Lowth, Chairman of Hesket Newmarket Brewery said:

“We are delighted to work with the Building Societies Association to brew a commemorative golden ale for this very special anniversary. As a co-operatively-owned microbrewery, one of the first in the country, we are proud that our business embodies the ethos and the benefits of community ownership.”

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Press contacts:
Tanya Jackson, tanya.jackson@bsa.org.uk  Tel: 07881 501098
Katie Wise, katie.wise@bsa.org.uk  Tel: 020 7520 5904

Notes to Editors:

香蕉福利直播 represents all 42 UK building societies, including both mutual-owned banks, as well as 7 of the largest credit unions. Building societies have total assets of almost £525 billion and together with their subsidiaries, hold residential mortgages of over £395 billion, 24% of the total outstanding in the UK. They also hold £399 billion of retail deposits, accounting for 19% of all such deposits in the UK. Building societies account for 40% of all cash ISA balances. 

With all of their headquarters outside London, building societies employ around 52,300 full and part-time staff.  In addition to digital services, they operate through approximately 1,300 branches, holding a 30% share of branches across the UK.