Posted on: December 1, 2025
Looking back on 2025 by Director Craig Power
Another year passes by and 2025 has been a another challenging and interesting one.
Since my fellow director David Wood retired last year, the team has gone from strength to strength. Lisa Brown returned to Village Financial Services Ltd, and I am very pleased to have her back in the fold. Business has been strong this year, and we are on target to exceed last year’s figures so a huge thank you to Luke, Michelle and Lisa as well as all our customers, existing and new. We look forward to helping you all as we enter 2026. I’d also like to thank Hazel from Petite Digital who looks after our social side of things from Facebook posts to monthly newsletters.
Our sponsorship of the Swings and Smiles golf day in May at Newbury and Crookham golf club was another great success. I was unable to attend this year but Luke did and played in one of the teams. The weather stayed fair, 20 teams of 4 golfers attended and enjoyed excellent hospitality and some quality raffle and auction prizes, some of which were provided by Village Financial Services Ltd. A big thank you to David Wood who provided a huge amount of work in the background to source goods and services for the raffle, auction and prizes. Last year raised £7,000, but this year £8,000 was raised in total.
On a business stance, the year has been relatively steady. Mortgage rates have mainly dropped during 2025 which we expected and following changes to stamp duty in April, we saw a significant surge in property transactions in March as buyers rushed to complete before the changes took effect. Buyer demand cooled temporarily after that but has since started to rebound. The Bank of England has been cutting its base rate throughout 2025, again as expected, with reductions in February, May & August bringing the base rate to 4.00% today. We will need to wait and see if early 2026 will deliver a further reduction to 3.75%.
It only remains for me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to speaking to some of you in 2026.
A quick reminder to vote… and a chance to support a great cause at the same time!
Our annual charity draw is now open to existing customers who have completed business with us and follow us on Facebook. In January, we’ll be announcing ten lucky winners, each receiving £100 for the charity or school of their choice.
Last year, your votes helped support some incredible organisations, including:
- No5 Young People’s Counselling Service
- Swings & Smiles
- Naomi House & Jacksplace Children’s Hospice
- Alzheimer’s Research UK
- Many Tears Animal Rescue
- Cornwall Air Ambulance
- Didcot Primary Academy
- Dementia Research UK
- The UK Sepsis Trust
Here’s how to cast your vote and enter the draw:
- Like and follow our Facebook page – Village Financial Services Ltd
- Email craig.power@villagefs.co.uk to request entry, and let us know whether you’re happy for your name and chosen charity to be mentioned when the results are announced.
By following us on Facebook, you’ll also stay up to date with the latest mortgage news, insights, and updates from our team.
Make your vote count—support a cause you care about and be part of something that makes a difference!
