Where can I park the bank?: After the last 支店 in town is の近くにd, some villages have 設立する innovative 解答s...

By Stephen Womack, Mail on Sunday Personal 財政／金融 特派員
Updated: 23:54 BST, 20 September 2008

For many communities, one 結果 of the 合併 between HBOS and Lloyds TSB could be the 結局の loss of their bank 支店. Two years ago 財政上の Mail 報告（する）／憶測d on Lloyds TSB's 終結 of 19 支店s that were the last bank in town. Stephen Womack returned to several of the towns and villages 影響する／感情d and discovered that another bank had stepped in with an innovative 解答.

The combination of Lloyds TSB and HBOS will create a 巨大（な） bank with a monster 株 of the mortgage and 貯金 market. Its 連合させるd 網状組織 of nearly 3,000 支店s will dwarf that of any 競争相手. Only the 地位，任命する Office, itself about to 結論する the cull of thousands of 支店s, will 誇る more 出口s.

But Derek French, an 専門家 on 接近 to banking services, believes in the long 称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 支店 終結s are 必然的な. 'In previous big 合併s there is usually an amalgamation of 支店s where the two former banks each had one 支店,' he says.

This is not やむを得ず a blow to communities, but what French 恐れるs is that the new group could use a major rationalisation of its 網状組織 to こそこそ動く through その上の 終結s.

貿易（する）ing places: The former Lloyds 支店, abov e, in Winkleigh, Devon, was shut 負かす／撃墜する and is now an antiques shop

Lloyds TSB has a history of 取り消すing on 約束s not to abandon communities by の近くにing their last 支店. In 2006, 19 were の近くにd where they were technically 'the last in town', defined as 存在 more than four miles from the nearest other bank. Lloyds TSB said the 支店s were unaffordable and little-used.

This has not been borne out by events in Winkleigh, Devon. When the 終結 was 発表するd in September 2006, 村人s 行う／開催する／段階d a 抗議する, which Lloyds ignored. The 終結 went ahead and the 支店 is now an antiques shop.

But in March 2007, 競争相手 NatWest 開始する，打ち上げるd a 動きやすい service in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall - an area that Lloyds had 砂漠d. 同様に as 存在 a lifeline for thousands, this 率先 has 証明するd there is plenty of 地元の 需要・要求する.

Winkleigh, Devon, 9.20am

Every Thursday the Ford 輸送 calls at Winkleigh at 30am and is open for 商売／仕事 for an hour. Cashiers Carol Duffield, 50, and Janet Harding, 53, work in a 安全な・保証する area 接近d through the cab and are separated from 顧客s by 安全 審査するs. Doris Piper, 74, one of the first to board the 先頭, says:

'This is a 広大な／多数の／重要な service. I remind all my friends that it comes on a Thursday to make sure as many people as possible use it.'

There is a 安定した stream of 訪問者s and Carol and Janet are kept busy.

顧客s can 支払う／賃金 in cheques, deposit cash , check their balances and make a 移転 between accounts. But there is no computer on board, so they cannot get uptothe-minute 声明s .

Nicky Pincombe, 36, who runs The Old Tea Shop in Winkleigh, says: 'I work six days a week and only have Sundays off so it is impossible to go どこかよそで during bank 開始 hours. This 動きやすい 支店 is a lifeline for me.'

The Devon 大勝する, started in March 2007, also calls at Bere Alston, Buckfastlei gh and Princetown in Devon and Gunnislake, just over the 国境 in Cornwall? -? all 場所s where Lloyds TSB の近くにd 支店s.

Another NatWest 先頭 operating from Truro covers 田舎の Cornwall. The service was 拡大するd last year to 含む communities such as St Just and Tintagel, which were also abandoned by Lloyds TSB.

Chulmleigh, Devon 11:00am

Janet parks the NatWest 動きやすい bank outside the volunteer 解雇する／砲火／射撃 駅／配置する, one of the few spaces big enough to 融通する the 先頭. 'If the 解雇する／砲火／射撃 サイレン／魅惑的な goes we can scoot out of the way in about 20 seconds, but so far that hasn't happened,' she says.

NatWest is coy about 明らかにする／漏らすing exact 顧客 numbers, but says usage of the service has 増加するd about sixfold since the 先頭 was introduced.

But even after 18 months of visiting the town, people are still discovering the service. Jim ワットs, 56, a tree 外科医 who has lived in Chulmleigh for 17 years, became aware of the NatWest service only when he was reading the town notice board earlier in the morning.

Roadshow: Carol Duffield, left, and Janet Harding and their 動きやすい bank

'It's 広大な／多数の／重要な,' he says after his first visit. 'The 代案／選択肢 for me is a 17-mile 一連の会議、交渉／完成する trip to South Molton. Now that I know this is here, I'm sure I will build it into my 週刊誌 決まりきった仕事.'

Jim uses the 動きやすい bank to send money to his son, Ciaron, who is a 演劇 student in Canterbury, Kent.

An other fan of the service is Tracey Challacombe, 33, who 作品 at the 地元の health centre and is banking the week's 支払い（額） and prescription money. 'Before the 動きやすい bank （機の）カム, I would have had to go into Crediton or South Molton in my own time to do the banking,' she says. 'Now it fits easily into the office 決まりきった仕事.'

Brampton, Devon, 1.50pm

After a stop at Witheridge , Janet and Carol 運動 the 17 miles to Bampton, one of the longest 脚s of their day's 旅行. The 時刻表／予定表 許すs them an hour, giving Carol and Janet enough time for a quick 挟む break en 大勝する.

Comfortably ahead of schedule, they park in Bampton's main street, cheekily 製図／抽選 up outside the village's HSBC 支店, which opens for three hours on a Wednesday morning.

As she pulls 負かす／撃墜する the 後部 steps ahead of the 2pm 開始, Carol puts out a metal to 橋（渡しをする） the small stream of water that runs 負かす／撃墜する the 深い gutter.

Former carpenter Alex Attwater, 77, is one of the bank's first 顧客s. He leaves Brandy, his six-year-old springer spaniel, outside and climbs into the 先頭 to settle a credit card 法案. 'I use the 動きやすい on 普通の／平均（する） every other week to 支払う／賃金 法案s or to draw cash,' he says. 'It 作品 really 井戸／弁護士席 and saves me a 16-mile 一連の会議、交渉／完成する trip to Tiverton.'

Milverton, Somerset, 3.15pm

Our meandering 大勝する takes us into Somerset and the 古代の village of Milverton. Janet parks outside The Globe Inn, one of the few suitable 位置／汚点／見つけ出すs in the 狭くする streets. This is the shortest stop of the day at just 20 minutes.

Janet says: 'Over the months we have adapted the 大勝する, staying longest where there is the greatest 需要・要求する and doing shorter stops where we see より小数の 顧客s.'

Alison McVay, a solicitor and 公証人, is waiting for us and climbs 船内に as soon as the steps are lowered. 'Having a bank arrive on your doorstep is ideal for someone like me who 作品 from home ,' she says.

Another 訪問者 is Gillis Burgess, 70, treasurer of the Save Milverton 活動／戦闘 Group, which is （選挙などの）運動をするing against a 提案するd 住宅 開発 on the 辛勝する／優位 of the village. Gillis, who is 支払う／賃金ing in 基金s for the （選挙などの）運動をする, says: 'I used to live on the 小島 of Arran and saw the 役割 of the 動きやすい bank there.

'They are a tremendous idea because they bring a 決定的な service to people who cannot always travel. I have no car so it would be a difficult 旅行 to get to another 支店.'

Uffculme, Devon, 4.15pm

The final stop of the day. For Esther Hagelstein, 56, who has lived in Uffculme all her life, the 動きやすい bank is a 思い出の品 of her childhood. 'When I was a girl, NatWest used to 始める，決める up a bank in the 前線 room of the 地位，任命する office,' she says.

At 4.50pm Carol 倍のs up the steps and shuts the door for the final time. In all they have served almost 50 顧客s over the day - almost one for every two-and-a-half miles of their 大勝する.