If you're already a client of ours, you'll probably have received one of our entertaining Christmas cards featuring amusing cartoons by Oliver Preston.

By way of bringing a little cheer to the currently gloomy economic scene, we've assembled a small collection of Ollie's images, which you can see by going to our Home page and clicking on the last of our KEY LINKS – The Lighter Side Of Insurance – which will take you to our Oliver Preston gallery.

The serious side of fun

Of course, each of Ollie's images has a serious message bured beneath its engaging surface. In every case, he wittily draws attention to the need for proper insurance to cover ourselves and our families against the possibly dreadful effects of life's little – and sometimes not so little – mishaps.

Ollie's scenarios may seem wild – even outrageously so at times – but they all contain a perrenial truth: we none of us know when we'll be glad we took out the right insurance cover.

We hope yours can cope during the Festive Season!

December 6 2011

LeakSafe Water is an innovative wireless-technology-based system that not only detects and prevents water leaks in your home but also makes turning off the water as easy as switching off the light.

The system is explained in a leaflet, which you can access by clicking on the Read More link below. We believe that, while the weather forecasters are warning us of a hard winter ahead, this could be a good time to fit such an ingenious device.

To find out more about this clever product, either call LeakSafe Water on 0844 809 4339 or email them at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Read More

November 9 2011

While we may have been experiencing one of the mildest Autumns for many years, it would be foolish to be lulled into a false sense of security about the winter weather ahead.

The forecasters are suggesting it could be at least as severe as last year's.

So it makes sense to take advantage of the current mild conditions and secure your home for the winter while you can.

The following few tips should help keep thing weather-tight.

Pre-winter check up

Make sure all the water pipes in loft spaces and exposed areas are fully lagged.

Locate and make a note of the whereabouts of your mains water stopcock.

Check all your gutters for blockages and, if necessary, have them cleaned out.

When Jack Frost nips

When the temperatures suddenly drop during a cold snap, open the attic door or trap hatch to let some heat into the loft.

Change your central heating control so that the heating is on 24 hours a day rather than on a timed basis.

Run your cold water taps from time to time, to test for a frozen pipe and – if you detect one – call a plumber immediately.

Holiday home hints

If you're going to leave a second property unoccupied for any length of time, leave the central heating on at a low level.

If it's going be empty for a significant period, make sure the central heating system has been drained and the controls have been switched off.

Ask a friend of neighbor to check the property occasionally, with a particular eye on any external piping, and give them the authority to act on your behalf if a pipe bursts.

A little attention now could prevent a disaster later on.

November 3 2011

With the summer holidays over and the seasons beginning to turn, it won't be long before we're talking about the evenings drawing in and it getting dark earlier and earlier. Christmas will soon be in the air!

Unfortunately, no matter how romantic this time of year sounds, it's also a period during which – under cover of darkness – burglaries become more frequent.

What's more, the exciting versatility and allure of mobile phones, iPods, game boxes and the like has made such items increasingly attractive to light-fingered people who know how to dispose of stolen goods.

So now is a good time to take stock of your home contents insurance and ask yourself whether or not it really would cover your losses, if you had to make a claim.

A worrying statistic

Disturbingly, research shows that as many as one in five of us are underinsured, simply because we don't know what our possessions are worth.

There may be a simple explanation for this.

The fact is, many items such as sophisticated kitchen appliances, laptop computers, digital cameras and other portable valuables – including much-loved jewellery and family paintings – would probably cost more to replace than we imagine.

Clothes, books, DVD and CD collections and furniture are also expensive to replace or repair, if they are stolen or damaged.

This is not necessarily because household and personal items cost more now, but because most of us have become multiple purchasers. Where once we might have had one television set, we now have two or three. One mobile phone may well have been replaced by three or four.

A simple room-by-room check

One way to be certain that your home contents insurance will cover the true worth of your possessions is to conduct a simple room-by-room check of everything you own and tot up the total value.

Begin in the kitchen, making a note of anything such as microwaves or coffee makers. Moving on to the dining room, remember to include things like canteens of cutlery, candlesticks and cut glass collections.

Your living rooms may have a number of televisions, sound or cinema systems and book, DVD or CD collections that could be stolen.

Make a note of everything that matters – including clothes, shoes and furniture – which you'd have to replace.

Help is at hand

The chances are you'll find your home contains a great many items that, when properly valued, are worth more than you expected.

If this is the case, and the value exceeds your current cover, you should upgrade your policy now.

"A stitch in time", it's said, "saves nine."

In home insurance terms, and with a possible claim in mind, a check now may mean a larger cheque in the future.

If you need any help with this matter, your Lumley St Aubyn account handler will be happy to assist in any way you may need and – if necessary – adjust your policy's cover accordingly.

October 3 2011