Madam,

As a longstanding customer of NatWest and a stakeholder (73 per cent owned by taxpayers), I am utterly appalled to be informed of the intended closure of their branch in Machynlleth.

The branch is a hub of the town and very well used. The customer service supplied by Eirlys Pugh and the rest of the staff is second to none. In fact Mrs Pugh previously won manager of the year for customer service and featured, along with other staff, on NatWest TV advertisements.

This area of Wales has the some of the oldest population in the UK and many of this demographic do not use the internet or engage in internet banking. This, coupled with the inability of many of the population here to access the internet from home due to the rural location, means that the local branch is an absolute requirement for local people to carry out their banking needs.

The local branch of HSBC recently closed and NatWest gained an influx of new customers due to this and their need for a local branch.

Machynlleth’s weekly market is visited by people from the surrounding area and further afield who do their banking when attending the market, along with the stallholders. The town relies on tourism as a major industry and the customer numbers at the NatWest branch reflect the busy tourist season.

I would hope that NatWest reconsiders this decision.

Yours etc,

Rebecca Watson, David Williams Court, Machynlleth.

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