As banks close down branches everywhere a major new SCENTED bank opens up at Central Milton Keynes

NatWest has opened a new community hub at the former Mothercare shop in Central Milton Keynes.

The Midsummer Arcade faciilty will replace the old NatWest old branch in the city centre.

it provides traditional banking services, including including cash machines and cash deposit machines, and there will and private meeting rooms for customers looking for support.

But an added difference is a special events space for entrepreneurs, local businesses and community groups to borrow.

They can use this for anything from AGMs to client meetings, with a NatWest event manager on hand to help them plan their events if needed.

And for anyone striving for a whiff of success, the scent in the room can be changed to create different environments. These range from calming aromas to focused scents, to suit the needs of the customer or event. The lighting can also be changed to suit the ambience.

This is NatWest’s fourth community hub in the country, following successful openings in Islington, Cambridge and Bristol, and it has been hailed as “much more than a bank” by branch manager Natalie Litchfield.

She said: “What is fantastic about the new hub is that as well as providing traditional banking services, it is a really vibrant, welcoming space that local organisations and entrepreneurs can use, even if they have no existing connection to NatWest.

"It brings a real sense of purpose, with so much potential to become a collaborative hub for both the centre and the city.”

The hub opening was marked by a visit from Bruce Fletcher Group Chief Risk Officer at NatWest, who met with staff ahead of the hub’s formal opening.

Bruce said: “As a bank, we champion potential, helping people and businesses to thrive and and our new hubs provide a brilliant environment to do just that.”

Kevin Duffy, centre:mk’s director, said: “NatWest’s community hub is a brilliant addition to our line-up.

“The company’s commitment to environmental and social needs are closely aligned with that of centre:mk and we are proud to be supporting a dynamic space for businesses to grow further within the centre.”