In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s the economy was in poor shape. Inflation was rampant and unemployment was rising, with many others reduced to short-time working. The Credit Union continued to serve its members, frequently rescheduling loan repayments to take account of altered circumstances.
As a result, growth continued, so that in April 1979 the first full-time employee, Cathal Copeland, was appointed to run the office and the opening hours were considerably extended. This was followed by the employment of a Clerical Assistant in January 1980.
March 1984 marked another milestone in the Credit Union’s development when the first computer system was inaugurated. This meant that reports could be produced without poring over ledger cards and made the administration much easier. In October of that year, the 2,000th member joined.
In 1987 the Credit Union was twenty years old and had 2,663 members. Savings had reached £1million and there was £890,486 loaned out.
