Remote town doesn't have a bank anymore and the nearest is an hour’s drive away

Residents of Lochgilphead are facing significant disruption as the town's final bank prepares to close its doors, forcing customers to travel an hour to the nearest branch in Oban. The closure of the Bank of Scotland branch, a fixture for many since the 1970s, has caused distress, particularly among the elderly.

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I was distraught. I mean I couldn't sleep that first night when I realised. I thought what am I going to do?

Eighty-four-year-old Maggie Dodd described herself as "distraught" upon hearing the news, expressing fear about navigating online banking and the risk of scams. "I'm frightened," she said. She has since partnered with her 83-year-old friend Ina Callander to utilize the local post office for banking services, a testament to community support in the face of dwindling access.

Lloyds Banking Group, the parent company, stated the branch is no longer viable due to a shift towards online banking. However, locals worry about the broader impact on vulnerable people and businesses. Karen McCurry, who runs the wellbeing center Snowdrop Argyll, noted that some residents have lost sleep over the closure. Her center has initiated a "buddy scheme" to assist those struggling with the transition.

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I'm frightened. There's so much of this scamming business, and I'm always worried that I'll hit something and press the wrong thing.

Local business owners also voiced concerns. Adriano Pia, owner of the Argyll Café, highlighted the unreliability of card machines and ATMs, stating he has sometimes had to let customers take food without payment when their cards failed. Scott McBride, manager of the Community Shop, worries about the logistics and cost of securing daily cash deposits, which are crucial for the charity's operations.

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I've been using the post office for years. Maggie was really upset and I thought, why not help her? Because that's what friends are for.

This closure is part of a larger trend in Scotland, with consumer watchdog Which? reporting 742 bank branch closures since 2015. The Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency has seen the most closures, with 30 in a decade. In the Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber region alone, 25 branches have shut.

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I had people approaching me, telling me they weren't sleeping at night because the bank was going to close - and that's massive.