It has 1,050 members – 42 per cent of staff – ranging from cooks and cleaners, firefighters, the chief officer and deputy and assistant chief officers. Members’ average salary is about £20,000, but even well-paid firefighters were recognised as facing problems a credit union would help solve.One of the country’s fastest growing credit unions is Fairshare, based in Telford in the West Midlands. It has 2,200 members, with a further 100 people joining each month, and is expecting a big increase in numbers after agreeing support from five local companies, including GKN. The companies will circulate employees with information and enable staff to make deductions at source for savings and loan repayments.Fairshare grew out of a merger last year of the Telford council’s staff credit union with two local community credit unions, following relaxations from the Government on the criteria for joining a credit union. It is developing an association with an insurance company and a housing association to offer better access to insurance for the financially excluded.

Ultimately, it wants to offer such financial services as mortgages.”A recent Fairshare survey showed that members had mixed views about how it should develop. Some wanted it to focus on savings and loans, while others want it to expand into cheque accounts, credit and smart cards and cash machine withdrawals.But the survey also found that it is not just the cheap loans that are popular – one of the most common reasons for opening an account was to keep your savings secret from your partner.. Easter is traditionally a popular time to take a short break. This year, even more of us are likely to go abroad as restrictions from the foot-and-mouth epidemic make breaks in the UK difficult. Easter is traditionally a popular time to take a short break. This year, even more of us are likely to go abroad as restrictions from the foot-and-mouth epidemic make breaks in the UK difficult.
But when we’re planning to go away for a few days, we often don’t take insurance as seriously as we might for a longer holiday. Research from the Post Office travel service reveals that 20 per cent of holidaymakers head off without any form of travel insurance, and the figure is far higher for short breaks – travel insurer Primary Direct estimates it at over 70 per cent.

According to market researcher Mintel, most of us regard a couple of days in Paris or a weekend in Barcelona as carrying a lower risk than a longer holiday.On the positive side, the Post Office’s research reveals that 80 per cent of people believe that travel insurance is essential when travelling to high-risk areas such as Asia and Africa. However, less than 20 per cent felt it was vital for a trip to Spain, despite the fact that the majority of claims are made by those who have been on holiday in Europe.Whether you’re away for two days or three weeks, the same things can go wrong – your luggage may go missing, you may face flight delays or cancellation, or you could be taken ill. Insurance is therefore vital and it doesn’t need to be expensive. New research from Holiday Which? magazine confirms that travel agents charge unnecessarily high premiums for travel insurance.While it may seem less hassle to take out insurance at the same time as you book your holiday, the Which? report found that you could end up paying four times more than you would if you went to a direct provider. Cover for a two-week holiday in Europe costs £40.99 from Going Places, compared with £10 if you buy from TravelPlan Direct.Cover for a five-day break in Europe costs only £6 from TravelPlan Direct. With cover this cheap, it is not worth taking the risk of travelling without it. Consider, for example, that if you happen to get acute stomach pain while on holiday in, say, France, it could cost you anything up to £1,000.Insurance also gives protection against delays and cancellations.

The possibility of air-traffic-control strikes this Easter is yet another reason to ensure you are covered. Direct Line recommends that when shopping around for your insurance, you should make sure you get adequate cover for a delayed departure. The insurer says that most policies entitle you to a payment after you have been delayed for a certain amount of time – typically £20 after 12 hours. But it is also worth checking if you are covered should you wish to abandon your holiday altogether.

If you are only going away for a few days, you may decide it’s not worth your while if you are facing long delays.When looking around for travel insurance, take note of the level of cover provided. Nearly half of those surveyed by the Post Office admitted that they never read the small print on their policies, while 25 per cent of holidaymakers don’t take the policy number away with them.One common misconception is that the E111 form covers you for medical expenses if you fall ill when you are on holiday in Europe However, this is not necessarily the case. Primary Direct points out that while an E111 gives you access to free medical treatment, it is based on reciprocal agreements between the UK and other European states. The terms of these agreements vary considerably and can be very limited. In some countries, you will find you are not covered at all: for example, there is no agreement with Switzerland.According to figures from the British Tourist Authority, 59 per cent of us go away more than once a year.