Cirencester Friendly relocates head office to South Cerney

Due to strong performance and growing membership particularly over the last five years, specialist individual income protection provider Cirencester Friendly has today announced its headquarters will be relocating from Dyer Street and Northway House, Cirencester to a new office, Mutuality House in South Cerney, three miles south of their current location.

The occasion was marked with a ‘Topping Out’ Ceremony on 28 January 2019 which was attended by representatives of the Society and Barnwood General Works which placed the final piece of structure to the roof of Mutuality House.

Cirencester’s town centre has been the Society’s home since 1890 and the move signals its continued expansion and commitment to being a great place to work.

Paul Hudson, Chief Executive at Cirencester Friendly said: “I am very happy to announce that Cirencester Friendly will be relocating operations to Mutuality House in South Cerney. 5 Dyer Street has been our home since 2002 and having outgrown our two town centre sites, we made the decision to move following an extensive search for new offices.  Mutuality House will bring all staff together under one roof and cater for our ambitious future expansion plans and helping to ensure we provide the best possible service to all our customers. Mutuality House is currently under extensive development designed with our staff in mind, making it a place where people will want to work and grow.

I look forward to moving later this year and have every belief that Mutuality House will support our ambitions to be the go to insurance provider for protecting lifestyles”.

Guy Cook, Director at Barnwood General Works said: “We are delighted to have been entrusted with the refurbishment of Mutuality House at South Cerney and to be associated with this historic milestone for Cirencester Friendly”.

Cirencester Friendly Society started when, in 1878, Stroud business man George Holloway wrote an essay detailing a scheme that provided workers with sick pay, should they fall ill and become unable to work. For this, workers would pay a regular premium.

George Holloway also highlighted the need to provide for the worker after retirement. His essay outlined a way to build up a capital fund – known as the Holloway Principle.

Based on the Holloway style income protection contract, the Cirencester Conservative Association Working Men’s Benefit Society was formed in 1890 – soon followed by the women’s and Juvenile Societies.

Throughout the early 1900s the Society’s Membership continued to grow and its name shortened to ‘The Cirencester Conservative Benefit Society’. By the 1960s the Society had assets of over £1.5 million and was renamed ‘The Cirencester Benefit Society’.

In the 1980s the Society had just 6 members of staff and Membership was declining. So began the computerisation of records and a big marketing boost. When the Friendly Societies Act was introduced in 1992, the Society was registered and incorporated under its present-day name ‘Cirencester Friendly Society Limited’ (trading by Cirencester Friendly).

With a declining Membership the Society appointed a new Chief Executive Officer, Paul Hudson, in 1997 – and the society has grown, adding new products, since then. Membership now exceeds 35,000.