About Me
Hello! And thank you so much for visiting this site.
I’m Kim, a middle-aged mother of two. I have a degree in history and a love of nature, history, broken things and weird stuff. I live (or rather used to live) in a little thatched cottage in the heart of Suffolk, on the east coast of England, with my husband and one of our two sons.
When I’m not fighting with the NFU Mutual, I run the most amazing little online shop from the bottom of the garden. It’s called Kim’s Curiosity Shop.
Although I intended this site to be about the delights of living in a thatched cottage in the heart of the Suffolk countryside, sadly, this wasn’t to be. Our insurance company didn’t meet their responsibilities. Instead, this site is now dedicated to gaining justice for both us and our cottage.
The Cottage
Our cottage is the most gorgeous oaked framed, thatched building.
There’s a large yet cosy living room with an open fire and space enough for big squishy sofas to sit round it and watch the flames.
The main bedroom at the front, has the most amazing, sweeping views of the Suffolk countryside. I never got tired of opening the curtains in the morning to see the view.
It has a pretty little bathroom with a big old bath.
The kitchen, my favourite room in the house, is an absolute delight to cook in. And, as a family, we spent so many happy family meals gathered round the table. All the rooms have those gorgeous beams and low ceilings which make it feel so cosy and welcoming.
Protecting It for the Future
It was an absolute joy and honour to live there for the four years did. Mark and I are desperate to get back. We want to spend our retirement and the rest of our lives there, then pass it on to someone else who can enjoy it as much as we do – or did. But it’s now standing empty and derelict for no reason. It’s just that the NFU Mutual aren’t giving us what we need to repair it.
We’re only asking for what they promised, three years ago!
You can read the awful story so far in my first post My Three Year Battle for a Little Suffolk Cottage to find out a little more about what happened to us and our battle.
We lodged our second complaint to the The Financial Ombudsman Service at the beginning of February 2021. They are now reviewing our complaint about the way our insurance claim has been handled.
The NFU Mutual
We thought our home was safe as we insured it with a very reputable company. And put our trust in them to look after our home if anything happened. But, we are devasted by the way they have behaved. The’ve treated us terribly over the last three years.
It feel’s even worse when their group chief executive proudly stated in 2020:
“Our commitment to customer service underpins everything that we do at NFU Mutual and we are extremely proud to have been recognised by Which? and our customers as Insurance Brand of the Year. This status recognises the everyday dedication of our employees and agency network, who make sure we are there for our customers when they need us most.”
I hope that this site will help, not only us, but other people in our position. Listed buildings are precious to our country’s heritage. And they must be protected. Their conservation should always be put before money. We’re so upset that, so far, we’ve been alone on this journey, so we need your help to save our thatched cottage for the future.
Please help
So, please follow what happens on this site. If you can, please like my facebook page or follow me on my instagram account. I’ll try not to make everything all doom and gloom. Hopefully, if we get enough people following our plight, NFU will finally take notice. They might eventually do the right thing and meet their responsibilities. We just want them to pay us the money needed to do the repairs on our beautiful thatched cottage.
Then, this page can do what it was intended to do. That’s tell you all about the delights of living in a little thatched cottage in the heart of the Suffolk countryside.
Kim Loraine. x
If you have any questions or comments you can email me at: kim@kimscuriosityshop.com