Meeting Dates

Anglo Saxons Friendly Society

A Brief History

The Society was founded in 1877. At that time there was very little help for people in distressed circumstances. Families experiencing sickness, death and old age were often in dire straits. In these circumstances the friendly society movement grew, and the Anglo Saxons Friendly Society came into being as a mutual self help group, owned by its members and offering financial support in times of need.

Until 1947 the Society grew steadily, but with the introduction of the Welfare State, the traditional role of friendly societies was diminished. The membership of friendly societies in general dropped, as the benefits provided by the societies were to an extent provided by the State.

However, since then the investments of the Society, mainly in property, have proved very successful, providing the Society with substantial reserves and a powerful base to expand.

The Government allows friendly societies a special status, allowing investments to grow free of tax and allowing payments to its members, within certain limits, to be tax free. In recent years, it has also encouraged the growth of friendly societies by in- creasing the benefits the societies can provide.

The decline of the Welfare State today means that friendly societies have the opportunity to resume their traditional role in providing help in times of need.

The Anglo Saxons Friendly Society intends to take full advantage of the opportunities offered for growth while maintaining its tradition of mutual help.