Friends Provident celebrates 175 years

Friends Provident has launched a new history section on its website at friendsprovident.com/175, celebrating the company's 175 year history of progressive thinking and its values as an innovative financial services institution.

The site will enable visitors to learn about Friends Provident’s innovative past and its vision for the future in five parts, the main section being an interactive timeline:

Key Moments maps out the landmark events and pioneering achievements that changed Friends Provident’s history

Related Businesses includes a brief history of companies that have played a significant role in the development of Friends Provident

Into the Future presents research into what the future may hold, including:
Elderpreneurs: kick-start business later in life using released equity from homes or savings
Old age teens: saving responsibly for their future
Bridge careerists: still working into their 60s with no plans to retire or give up their upscale lifestyle

Financial Firsts is a testament to 175 years of pioneering key financial developments, for example:
1918: first time a mutual buys a general insurance company – Friends acquires The Century
1984: first ethically screened retail unit trust from a UK life company

At the centre of this site is a fully interactive timeline which plots Friends Provident’s history by way of a simple but engaging interface, which goes back into time, from the global financial institution it is today, to its roots in a room above a sweatshop in Bradford with a £10,700 Guaranteed Bond managed by two Quakers. Visitors to the site can either scroll through chronologically or enter their birth year to find out what key events were taking place at Friends Provident and in the world. The timeline is punctuated with photographs from the Friends Provident archives in Salisbury, pieces of old documents and interesting facts.

Nick Boakes, director of group communications, said: “Friends Provident’s website will prove an invaluable tool for anyone wishing to learn more about our history, what we are about today and where the company is going. All our stakeholders including our customers, employees and shareholders, as well as journalists and students are amongst those that will benefit from the opportunity to explore Friends Provident in more depth.

“The latest developments to the website are just one part of our 175 year young celebrations; we are the sponsors of the England and Wales Cricket Board trophy - now known as the Friends Provident Trophy - the premier domestic cricket cup competition; we are also very much looking forward to our 175 party at the V& A museum in June.”