Call to join credit union

RESIDENTS in south-west Edinburgh are being urged to invest their savings in a local credit union. The Capital Credit Union said savers could join for as little as £1 a week.

A partnership initiative with South-West Edinburgh Community Learning and Development, the scheme opens on Wednesday for seven weeks.

Last year, credit unions were highlighted as a way for people to avoid using loan sharks.

Edinburgh North & Leith Labour MP Mark Lazarowicz said lenders were able to charge any price they liked, making "wildly excessive profits at the expense of some of the most vulnerable people by charging sky-high interest rates for short-term credit".

For more details, go to 55 Sighthill Road on Wednesdays between 11.30am and 1.30pm or call 0131-225 9901.