Cheshire Building Society

Post Office hits best buy savings rate tables with 3.01% easy access and 3.96 ...

Amid a wave of rate cuts the Post Office has pitched up in the savings best buy tables with a new 3.01 per cent easy access account and 3.96 per cent two-year bond.

The new deals pay 2.41 per cent and 3.17 per cent after tax, respectively.

The Post Office's two-year bond replaces Santander at the top of table after the Spanish bank cuts its 4 per cent deal to 3.5 per cent this week.

Cheshire and Dunfermline Building Societies lie close behind in second, both offering 3.95 per cent over two years.

Savings rates are wobbling as the Bank of England looks less and less likely to increase base rate from 0.5 per cent this year.

The average instant access account now pays just 0.9 per cent and savings analysts don't think it will rise above 1 per cent until after the base rate rises.

However, the best deals offer considerably higher returns, making it essential for savers to shop around.

At 3.01 per cent, the Post Office lies in joint second place in the tables alongside Nationwide. Both providers are beaten by Coventry Building Society's 3.1 per cent Poppy Online Saver, which supports the British Legion.

A monthly interest option is available for income-seekers at the Post Office, paying 2.97 per cent (2.38 per cent after basic rate tax). This might suit pensioners looking for a temporary home for a nest egg.

Savers need to be aware that the account includes a 1.35 percentage point bonus for a year. It means moving your cash after twelve months or suffering a much poorer rate.

Other new rates on offer at Post Office include a one-year bond at 3.41 per cent and a three-year deal at 4.21 per cent. Neither rate slotted in quite as high in the savings tables, though.

With rates falling all around us it's good to see the Post Office stepping in with some attractive deals.

My tip is still to stick to instant access accounts if you can bear it. The only reason to head for a longer-term fixed bond is if you really need the income. With the Bank of England base rate at record low of 0.5 per cent, you might come to regret tying up your cash when rates (eventually) rise.

With that in mind, it's essential to get the best deal you can. This new Post Office account doesn't match up to Coventry's 3.1 per cent offer and Coventry has a good reputation for its service, too.

Be wary of these bonuses, too. More than one in ten now carry them.

Canada BC4 Pair Wins Second Place at 2011 Cheshire Building Society

The Canadian Boccia Pair of Marco Dispaltro, Josh Vander Vies and Caroline Vietnicks won second place at the 2011 Cheshire Building Society International Boccia Championships in Wigan this past weekend in the BC4 division.  The result is a strong one as the Canadian Pair prepares for the 2011 CPISRA Boccia World Cup, to be held in Belfast, Ireland at the end of August.

Canada, ranked 10th in the World, finished first in its pool after beating Wales 8 – 0, and a convincing 4 – 1 win over World number 3 Portugal.  In the quarter-finals, Canada took on World Cup bound Scottish captain Jamie McCowan and his teammate Jamie Docherty, defeating Scotland 5 – 2.

This led Canada to face Robert Durkovic and Martin Streharsky of the World number 6 Slovak Republic in the semi-finals.  Due to a technical error by the Slovak Republic (failing to report for the game in time) Canada won by default 6 – 0.

Through to the final, Canada finally met Cheshire rivals Great Britain, ranked number 2 in the World.  In 2007 at the Cheshire International, Canada beat Great Britain to secure a fifth place finish.  The rivalry must have been on the minds of the British McGuire brothers and teammates Peter and Stephen, as they came out hard, playing a near perfect game for the first three ends.  After rock solid first balls and lobs, Canada was down 7 – 0 going into the fourth end.  With a strong first ball and well placed lobs, Canada scored 2 in the fourth end, with a final score of 7 – 2.

The final results of the BC4 division were:

1 – Great Britain 9 – England / Scotland

“I am proud of how we worked together and played with calm and focus this tournament,” said 2004 Paralympian Josh Vander Vies.  “We will take this success into the Belfast World Cup with us, and work even harder to improve our game.  The other teams in the World will definitely be thinking about Canada for the next 8 weeks.”

For rookie Marco Dispaltro, the competition was eye opening.  “It’s the first time that I saw international players in person. It’s a higher level then what I’m used to in Canada but I was able to adapt very well.”

Caroline Vietnicks, landed solid first balls throughout the tournament and stunned opponents with her devastating hits.  Excited for the Belfast World Cup, she looks forward to heading home and tightening up her game even more.

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