100% compensation



Top London solicitors working on your behalf



No win no fee legal advice





Reid Minty Personal Injury Solicitors are one of Londons leading legal firms. We are listed in the Legal 500, and we boast a specialist team of Personal Injury lawyers dealing with all types of personal injury claims.

We do not operate "production line" operation like other claims businesses or insurers. RMPI will provide you will a specialist dedicated to your case, and not, as can happen, someone who hasnt the experience or isnt fully qualified to represent your best interests. Thats why our success rate with personal injury cases is so high

Advice you can trust

If you have been involved in any type of accident that was not your fault and you have suffered an injury, you may have a claim for compensation. You could be the driver of a car or motorcycle, a passenger, a cyclist or even a pedestrian. You could have had an accident at work, slipped on split liquid in a supermarket or tripped on a loose paving slab.

Whatever the circumstances, RMPI have years of experience in recovering compensation for people who have sustained many different types of injuries.

Think you can’t afford top London solicitors working on your behalf?  Think again.

If you have a personal injury claim, RMPI believe you should be entitled to 100% of any compensation you are awarded in that claim. Thats why we operate on a no win, no fee basis. We will charge the responsible insurers for costs we incur on your behalf. Win or lose, you wont be charged a penny.

Many insurance companies, claims companies and even brokers who claim to help people in your circumstances are no more than "claims sellers". They actually sell on your case to legal firms. They earn commission from this, and give you nothing in return. In some cases, you would already have paid for legal assistance through your insurance, and yet your insurance company will still sell your case and make a profit from your bad luck.

Our "Thank You" to You

We will pay you £250 once your claim has been accepted and this is an early payment in addition to any money you recover for your injuries.  

Once your claim has been accepted by the responsible party and we are satisfied that you have a genuine claim that will succeed and that the compensation that you will receive is likely to be over the small claims limit, we will pay you £250. This is in addition to 100% of the compensation you will receive.

 

A Place in the Sun Live brings ray of sunshine to the property market

NEC Birmingham 26th–28th September 2008

New! Earls Court, London 3rd–5th October 2008

We have 20 pairs of tickets to give away to see these shows, take part in the Extra Mix quis for your chance to win a pair.The tickets will be valid for both shows  (London and Birmingham) so the winners can chose which one to attend. Take part in our Extra Mix Quiz for your chance to win!...

• Global property prices have risen so still a great way to invest

• Bulgaria and the Far East have experienced the greatest growth

• Current market conditions favour the US and Caribbean

• Eastern Europe doing well

• Investors should keep an eye on currency movements

• Look to overseas lenders to get a foot on the property ladder

• For a wealth of choices visit A Place in the Sun Live this Autumn

It’s easy to be confused and feel disheartened about the UK property market when everywhere you look people are talking about the credit crunch, recession and negative equity. But have you considered investing in a home abroad? For the canny investor, there are plenty of opportunities, both within Europe and beyond, where you can still see your hard-earned money grow.

A Place in the Sun Live – the UK’s biggest overseas property event – wants to spread a little sunshine on the situation. The show is returning to Birmingham NEC in September and is launching a new show at Earls Court in October – proving that overseas property is still a popular option– to reveal exactly how and where to buy.

Following two very positive Spring shows, with good visitor numbers and even better spending figure - the highest ever since the show launched in 2005 – it’s clear that demand and spending are still high, you just need to know where to look.

According to the latest Property Index by Knight Frank, Bulgaria is the country with the greatest annual price growth at 33.7% and the Far East (including Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand) has also had a similar experience, so Brits who have previously invested in property there are now seeing a healthy return on their investment.

If you’ve not yet taken the plunge and have money to invest, overseas property is undoubtedly still a good bet - and with the strength of the pound against the dollar, the US and Caribbean are prime examples of where Brits can really take advantage of the current market conditions. House prices in some parts of the US have continued to decrease, and if you dream of a tropical island paradise in the Caribbean this has now become more affordable than ever.

So although it is right to be nervous of buying property in the UK, this is definitely not true of the overseas market, and because of this, two key tends are emerging. Many older couples are taking the opportunity to emigrate while younger first time buyers, who struggle to get on the property ladder here are doing so abroad, buying as an investment while continuing to rent and live in the UK.

Richard Way editor of A Place in the Sun magazine has a top tip to overcome current lending issues; “With mortgage companies in the UK reducing their lending or requiring huge deposits try looking at overseas lenders. This can impose more risks due to language barriers, foreign laws and partnerships between sellers and lenders but if researched carefully and if the procedures are followed it can reap rewards”.

A Place in the Sun Live still advises that thorough research is done and expert advice is sought: “This is exactly why Brooklands started the shows three years ago”, Says Darren Styles, CEO of Brooklands Group. “A Place in the Sun Live is not just a property supermarket; it is a library of information offering free, impartial advice from experts. Then once you have all the facts, we lay out the property on a giant plate, all under one roof, just to make things easy.”

Marc Morley-Freer, Commercial Director in the Private Client Department of show sponsor Moneycorp, says ‘It’s always prudent to keep an eye on the currency markets when you’re planning your property purchase or looking to send money overseas.  Just a small fluctuation in the exchange rates can make a huge difference to the cost of your property.  There are still good property investment opportunities available in many overseas markets.  For example, you can snap up a bargain in the US at the moment.  It’s very much a buyers market in the States, with house prices expected to soften over the next 12 months and Sterling expected to remain relatively strong against the Dollar.’

So next time you turn on the TV to doom and gloom reports of the British property market, sit back and daydream about your very own place in the sun.

Make sure you know the facts when building ‘green’. 

‘Greenwashing’ means misleading consumers or exaggerating about a company or product’s environmental status. Nowadays, because everyone wants a share of the green pound, the greenwashing of consumer products is rife. So how do you make sure you’re doing the right thing and choosing the best building materials for your home?

InsideOut Buildings’ Director Lynn Fotheringham believes it is important to look behind claims about ‘eco-friendly’ DIY and construction materials.  InsideOut Buildings designs and builds environmentally responsible garden offices and granny annexes and research their materials thoroughly before making recommendations on sustainability to customers.

1. PVC windows.

Problem: -Lynn explains “People think that double-glazing is eco-friendly because it saves energy, which is true. But look further and you discover that the amount of energy used to manufacture UPVC is enormous. Also PVC frames are bigger and wider than wood and so reduce the amount of light coming through a window”.  

Solution:  Buy locally from a joinery manufacturer and check the wood comes from renewable forests, ideally in Britain or Western Europe.

2. Wooden cladding and flooring.

Problem: - This is often used on garden buildings and around the house. The assumption that wood + eco-friendly is simplistic.  Many cladding and flooring products are pressure treated and imported, both of which use unnecessary energy. So while wood is better than man made claddings and floorings, it can still be energy-expensive.

Solution: Lynn says “Choose untreated British or European wood from well managed local forests. Our beautiful larch cladding, for instance, is grown in Scotland, then cut and planed by our local timber merchant, with no treatments or preservatives.”

3. Insulation.

Problem: - Insulating your home or garden room properly will help the environment, again by saving energy. To do the job properly, you have to use a lot of insulation material. In garden offices, for instance, all surfaces should be insulated to an absolute minimum of 100mm. “We use UK manufactured insulation materials, either sheepswool or Rockwool, who have an excellent environmental policy in their factory.” says Lynn Fotheringham. “Which means we can insulate our buildings’ walls to a generous 200mm for maximum insulation efficiency while remaining environmentally responsible”.

Solution: Look at the manufacturing process before choosing an insulation material. Can it be recycled? Has it been imported? Does the manufacturer run their factory processes sustainably?

4. Green and living roofs. These are undoubtedly eco-friendly and can be highly effective on larger buildings. But there are drawbacks. You need at least 600mm of soil to achieve a practical level of insulation. The insulating properties are reduced when the soil is dry. In summer you have to irrigate and weed your roof. You have to use several different layers of plastic for waterproofing and containing the soil.  On the other hand when insulation isn’t so important, say for a garage or shed, a green roof is a great way to conceal an eyesore, add interest to your garden and provide an important space for wildlife.

5. Wind turbines. Wind turbines simply don’t hit the mark unless you live in a rural area with very strong winds. Current technology means that a small urban turbine will probably generate less energy than it takes to make. “Instead, use low energy light bulbs, don’t leave equipment on standby and insulate your home properly… both you and the environment will benefit much more!”

6. Recyclable materials. Even the word ’recyclable’ can be misleading. Thousands of products claim to be recyclable but, in all honesty, so what? Are you really going to re-use a load of exhausted plastic insulation in fifteen years’ time, or is anyone else? InsideOut Buildings recommend a common sense approach. “Our buildings are designed to last for a very long time, not to fall apart after just a few years. We think this is the best approach. If you build for life rather than for the short term, the need to recycle becomes less relevant.”

7. Paints and wood stains. These are the ingredients to avoid in paints and stains:-  Solvents and white spirit, turpentine, terpenes, ethereal oils, and acrylics. Ingredients to look for:- Water, binders , non-toxic pigments,  mineral fillers and waxes.

So have InsideOut Buildings found a truly green solution to all their garden building challenges? “No, it is an ongoing process as more affordable, sensible, sustainable products become available” says Lynn. “For example we use untreated cedar shingle roofing which is imported. We’ve been looking for a UK wood shingling manufacturer for some time… is there anybody out there?”

Half a million bags go a long way to carry green solution



Enough ‘green’ carrier bags to carpet the M40 from Midlands to London have been bought by The Royal Horticultural Society.



The Society has paved the way and purchased half a million compostable carrier bags from a small family-owned company, Ecosac in Shropshire, as garden experts prepared for the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (July 8 – 13).



In contrast to the damage to wildlife and the environment caused by a similar number of plastic bags, the compostable carrier bags will do no harm – and will also become the green option to carriers made from oil, if Gordon Brown’s ‘bag tax’ is endorsed.



To give an idea of the scale of the deal, the half-metre bags would stretch, side-by-side, from Ecosac’s base at Tern Hill, Shropshire, most of the way to the world-famous Royal Horticultural Society gardens in Wisley.



The RHS responded to the challenge of eliminating plastic bags by replacing them at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show with Ecosac’s compostable carriers.

The sustainable solution will drive home the Society’s green message, and significantly reduce the damage from plastic bags.  Ecosac is also supplying Clients from the Coop to the Soil Association, The National Trust, Organic Farmers and Growers, WWF and for the Welsh Assembly Government’s ‘Healthy Eating’ programme.

The bags are made with GM-free non-food grade cornstarch grown on redundant land. They were used at the Chelsea Flower Show and BBC Gardeners’ World in Birmingham, and the RHS were so pleased with them they have extended this eco-friendly initiative to other Shows.

Frazer Walker, Ecosac Director, said: “This is a milestone for environmentally friendly packaging in the UK. We are a small company, which for six years has been supplying compostable products and with concerns about plastic bag pollution being high on the public agenda, Ecosacs are attracting growing interest, especially from towns which are determined to go plastic bag free and highlighted in the Daily Mail’s ‘Banish the Bags’ campaign in February of this year”.

The carriers are also bearing the ‘green conscious’ message for Clients from organic food suppliers, to large garden centres.

Ecosac already supplies its carriers to the RHS Shops in Surrey and Yorkshire, where they are proving a great hit with the public.  This latest development further shows the Society’s commitment to reduction of waste and recycling.

Regatta, the UK’s number one outdoor clothing brand is best known for protecting families against wet and windy weather conditions through its extensive range of waterproofs and fleece. However, as we know there is no better time to enjoy outdoor activities than when the sun is shinning. Regatta has developed a Sunshade technology range to protect families against harmful UV rays. The range of T-shirt, shirts, trousers, shorts and hats, are designed to protect during the summer months in the UK or abroad.

Regatta’s Sunshade garments have a sun protection factor from 20+ to 40+ and can help protect covered skin against damage from the sun’s ultra violet rays. The products are specially woven to provide protection from the sun, no harmful chemicals or treatments are used. For best sun safety results Regatta recommend that Sunshade garments be used in conjunction with sun cream, but by creating this further barrier within the actual garments, it can give families that extra confidence to enjoy the hot weather!

Within the kidswear ranges the boy’s Sprint Short (RRP £12.50) and girl’s Lillydoll (£12.50) also give UV protection of (SPF) 40+. The Sprint Shorts are Outdoor System polyester/cotton fabric, whereas the Lillydoll are Outdoor System peached polyester/cotton, both styles have durable water repellent finish, part elasticated waists and multi-pocketed. For women, the Ona Capri’s (RRP £20) have proved an extremely popular choice.

Featuring peached polyester/cotton fabric, sunshade protection of 40+, a durable water repellent finish, part elasticised waist and multiple pockets, including a security pocket, it makes this garment an excellent addition to your suitcase for the summer holidays. Other products are available across the Regatta range including shirts, shorts and other trousers for kids.

For more information regarding the Regatta Sunshade Collection please visit www.regatta.com or call the Regatta Consumer Helpline on 0161 749 1313.