When chef Stella needs £3,000 to expand her restaurant business in the Peak District National Park, she heads straight to the Derbyshire Credit Union. It has already helped her to bring her Cameroon cooking to the locals, but will it grant her the extra funds she needs to convert an old barn into a commercial kitchen?

Former manufacturing manager Wendy has a new zest for life thanks to an ethical loan. She needed £1,000 to swap careers from cars to canines and set up a dog-grooming business, but being abroad for several years meant she had no recent credit history and finding finance wasn’t easy.

When disaster strikes, often a low-cost loan can be a lifeline. Richard from south Wales lost his livelihood as an HGV driver after a head injury. With some carpentry skills learnt from his father and a loan from a not-for-profit lender, Richard rebuilds his life crafting static Romany caravans. Show less