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NatWest Group’s Flying Banker service is marking 60 years of visits to remote Orkney islands, where Lois Canning provides customers with in-person banking. The service supports cash deposits and withdrawals, cheque payments and help with online banking, while flights and ferry journeys can be disrupted by weather.
NatWest Group’s Flying Banker service is marking its 60th anniversary, with banker Lois Canning travelling to remote Orkney islands to provide customers with face-to-face banking. Her visits offer services including cash deposits and withdrawals, cheque payments and help with banking apps in communities where a trip to a branch can take hours.
Canning took over the role in 2019 and is based on Shapinsay, an inner Orkney island. She visits Westray every Wednesday, working from a small building near the shore from 10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. The report says she can see as many as 50 customers in a day. On alternate Thursdays, she travels to Sanday and Stronsay.
Her work includes a “cash in, cash out” service for individuals and businesses, accepting cheques and assisting customers who are having trouble using the bank’s app. When a damaged undersea cable disrupted Westray’s internet in March, Canning helped customers in person and took paperwork back to Kirkwall for processing, according to the report.
Getting to work depends on the weather and available transport. The report describes a recent gale that cancelled Canning’s 20-minute flight back from Westray to Kirkwall; she instead took a ferry journey lasting about 90 minutes. Sea fog can also disrupt travel. The service operates across a small number of islands, and customers are warned that weather may affect visits.
In-Person Banking Beyond Kirkwall
The service provides a local option for people who need cash, change or face-to-face help, including businesses that take cash and residents who need support with digital banking. For some customers, reaching a branch in Kirkwall involves a journey that can take hours, making a visiting banker useful for routine transactions as well as practical assistance.
Its role also highlights the gap between the growth of online banking and the needs of remote communities. Digital services can handle many tasks, but customers may still need cash services, personal guidance or a way to bank when an internet connection fails. The report describes the Flying Banker as a service that helps maintain access without requiring island residents to make every trip to the mainland.
The work is not a substitute for all branch services, and the source does not provide figures for how many customers use it overall. But local accounts in the report show how the visits affect people with different needs, from small businesses managing wages and takings to older residents seeking help with online accounts.
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A Six-Decade Orkney Service
The Flying Banker is marking 60 years of operation, according to the report, which describes it as believed to be one of only a handful of comparable services worldwide. Canning previously worked in telephone banking at a call centre in Berkshire before moving to Orkney with her partner and daughter. She now lives on Shapinsay and says she has no plans to retire.
The report places the service against a wider reduction in access to bank branches. It cites Which? figures that banks and building societies have shut 6,896 branches since 2015. NatWest Group, which includes NatWest and RBS, has closed more than 1,500 branches over that period, according to the report; it also says a current round of 40 closures is due to end early next year. Those figures describe branch closures nationally, not a direct measure of demand for the Orkney service.
On Westray, a community of about 600 people, customers include farmers, shopkeepers, hospitality businesses, students and community groups. Some use the service for regular cash transactions; others seek help setting up accounts or resolving digital banking problems. The report says Canning has also helped community groups arrange access to bank buildings on days when she is not on their islands.
“It’s a way of life that I love.”
— Lois Canning, Flying Banker
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Weather and Service Coverage
How often visits are disrupted is not quantified in the report. It gives examples of gale-related flight cancellations and sea fog, but no annual cancellation figures or information on how missed visits are rescheduled. The source also does not specify the full timetable for every island or how many customers the service reaches over a year.
NatWest Group is described as committed to keeping the service running for years to come, but the report provides no detailed long-term operating plan, staffing arrangements or budget. It is also unclear whether the branch closures cited will change demand for the island visits, or whether any additional services are planned.
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Visits Continue Across the Isles
Canning is due to continue her regular rounds: Wednesdays on Westray and alternate Thursdays on Sanday and Stronsay, subject to transport and weather. Customers should expect the possibility of disruption, as the service’s warning notices and the recent cancelled flight illustrate.
The anniversary marks the service’s history, while its immediate work remains practical: meeting customers, handling transactions and helping with banking access on the islands. NatWest Group’s stated commitment is to continue the service, though the source does not set out further changes or a specific next milestone beyond the 60th-anniversary year.
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Key Questions
What does the Flying Banker service provide?
It provides in-person banking, including cash deposits and withdrawals, cheque payments and help for customers having difficulty with the bank’s app.
Which Orkney islands does Lois Canning visit?
Canning visits Westray every Wednesday and travels to Sanday and Stronsay on alternate Thursdays, according to the report.
Why do customers use the service instead of banking online?
Customers cited in the report need cash and change, help with accounts and face-to-face support. Internet problems can also affect access to online banking, while a branch trip to Kirkwall can take hours for some island residents.
Can weather prevent the Flying Banker from reaching customers?
Yes. Gales and sea fog can disrupt flights and ferries. The report describes one cancelled flight from Westray that led Canning to return to Kirkwall by ferry.
How long has the Flying Banker service operated?
The service is marking its 60th anniversary, according to the report. Canning took over the role in 2019.
Source: rss
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