MONMOUTHSHIRE Building Society has paid back more than £75,500 in money received through the government's furlough scheme during lockdown.

Like many businesses, the firm took advantage of the UK Government’s furlough scheme to protect jobs and support business resilience during the pandemic.

Dawn Gunter, chief operating officer, said: "The pandemic brought uncertainty, and like many businesses the Monmouthshire was unsure what it would mean for colleagues, members and the organisation. "The furlough scheme gave us the flexibility and agility we needed to ensure we could still operate effectively with a scaled back business model.

"I am delighted we are now in a position where we can repay the support given to us back into the economy."

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Monmouthshire Building Society focused on ensuring members had access to cash and services during the national lockdowns.

This was further highlighted with the opening of a new branch in Brecon at a time when other financial services were scaling back provision on the high street.

"As a modern mutual, we operate for the benefit of our members and the communities we serve," said chairman of the board Debbie Lewis.

"For us that means supporting members on their terms, both in branch and via digital platforms. Having come out of the pandemic in a much a stronger place than we were last year, we believe it’s the right and fair thing to do to repay the financial support given through the furlough scheme."

The Monmouthshire Building Society joins 125,000 businesses who have all repaid some or all of their furlough support, given to employers under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. More than 11 million jobs have been protected since the scheme was launched by Chancellor Rishi Sunak back in March 2020.