Island Life Magazine Ltd June/July 2009 | Page 126

life

LOCAL BUSINESS

Hordlewalhampton School

A Strong Association
With Island Families
scholarships; testimony to the
Situated just five minutes
school’s outstanding teaching,
from the Lymington ferry,
focus and care. This year pupils
Hordle Walhampton is a
have already gained places at
well established, flourishing
Winchester College and Eton as
pre-prep and prep school for
well as other established senior
boys and girls from two to 13
schools in Hampshire, Dorset
years. Located at the top of
and further afield.
Walhampton Hill, Lymington,
An extremely happy school,
the school mini buses operate
Hordle Walhampton provides
daily transfers to and from
a highly flexible approach
the ferry for a large number
to boarding (full, weekly
of Island children who benefit
and overnight) that has been
from, and thoroughly enjoy, a
specifically designed to
‘mainland’ education combined
suit modern family life and
with living on the beautiful Isle
commitments. With strong
of Wight.
connections with Island
With the options of day,
families, Hordle Walhampton
flexible and full boarding,
is a practical and successful
Hordle Walhampton provides
solution to education for Island
a strong academic education
children.
combined with outstanding
For more information or to
sports, art, drama and music.
arrange a visit, meet the children
Overlooking the Solent and the
and the Headmaster, Henry
Isle of Wight, the school has
Phillips, please phone 01590
over 90 acres of beautiful and
672013. For further details see
spacious grounds that include
www.hordlewalhampton.co.uk
a large, purpose-built sports
hall, three lakes, an all-weather
sports pitch, swimming pool
and equestrian centre. Hordle
Walhampton prides itself
on its exceptional and
varied facilities that offer
the pupils an exciting and
diverse range of activities.
When the time comes to
move on to senior schools,
the pupils frequently
achieve record numbers of Boarders at Hordlewalhampton

126

The team in the photo (left to right) are Catherine Dixcey, Paul Davis, Karin Wall, Matt
Legge and Sharon Chare. Absent from the photo are Becci Wilcox and Katherine Lawler.

Mutually beneficial
with NFU
The NFU (National Farmers’
Union) office first opened on
the Island in 1918, according to
County Secretary Matt Legge,
and for many years the office
was on the Mall in Newport.
Now both the NFU and NFU
Mutual, of which Matt is Senior
Account Executive, are based on
Gunville Road in Carisbrooke.
NFU Mutual was founded in
1910, by a small group of NFU
Members, to offer insurance to
farmers and landowners. More
recently, the company expanded
to offer insurance, pensions and
investments for these clients and
also those outside of farming.
“The NFU Mutual offers a fairly
unique service – no shareholders
but a mutual company owned by
our customers,” explained Matt.
Since he started working for the
group in 2001 the NFU Mutual
has continued to expand but has
maintained its customer focus,
providing its own products,
through a personal local service.
Matt’s team of six are
Sharon Chare, office manager;
Katherine Lawler, Senior
Sales Co-ordinator; Catherine
Dixcey and Becci Wilcox,
Sales Advisors; Karin Wall,
Admin Support and Paul
Davis, Financial Consultant.

The agency is also supported
from the regional office in
Basingstoke and the head office
in Stratford Upon Avon. Last
year the office won the National
Award for Financial Services
within the NFU Mutual.
NFU Mutual aim to supply
the complete package; house,
motor, business and life
insurance along with pensions
and investment products. It’s
a personal service with people
dropping into the office and
Matt travelling to customers
too. “More and more we’re
finding people who don’t like
dealing remotely with insurance
companies,” said Matt. “But
most of our customers know
our staff by their first names
and vice versa. Last year
they retained over 95% of the
policies that were held with
them. “It’s all about building a
relationship with our customers
that is important to us,” said
Matt and it’s obviously working.

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