The building society is praised for teaching children about money matters

The Darlington Building Society has partnered with specialist charity WizeUp Financial Education to run the programme, which was officially launched at Hummersknott Academy in Darlington.

Around 250 young people took part in five one-hour workshops as part of a “Life Skills Day” for 10th graders.

WizeUp presenter Imran Chowdhury covered areas such as budgeting, taxes, cryptocurrency, the history of money, saving and investing.

Although WizeUp has run school workshops in other parts of the country, the partnership with the Darlington Building Society is the first project in the North East.

Drawing on personal experience, Imran, 22, said: “I wish I had been taught this at school because when I got my first bank card I got carried away and got into trouble. ”

James Keating, Executive Director of Hummersknott Academy said: “We are constantly looking to expand our range of life skills because it is vitally important to prepare our children for the world of work.

“The opportunity to educate students on all aspects of finance in partnership with such a reputable local building society strengthens an already excellent offering. It takes away the fear factor of transitioning into the adult world, where personal finances are vital to day-to-day life.”

Assistant Principal Judith Bailey, who is responsible for personal development at the school, added: “It’s really important that our young people know about finance, money and budgeting and that’s especially important in the current cost of living crisis .”

“It’s great to have the Darlington Building Society supporting financial education in schools as it makes knowledge easier to access. The company also gives us excellent support through our career conferences.”

Cody Godfrey was one of the 10th grade students who benefited from the workshops. He said: “I know the Darlington Building Society because I have an account with them and so does all my family. It was really useful that the financial matters were explained to us because they are so important in everyday life. I would definitely recommend it to other schools.”

Louise Thorpe, Sales Manager for the Society, said: “It has been a great pleasure to be at Hummersknott Academy and to see the impact our financial education program is having on young people. This is a real priority for us as we want to use our expertise to benefit the local community and helping young people manage their finances is more important than ever.”