Our Blog

• Top 10 inexpensive ways to add value to your house 31 January, 2012
  

  If you're trying to sell your home, you'll want to do everything you can to impress potential buyers and increase its value. While not everyone can afford improvements like a loft conversion or kitchen refit, there are some inexpensive steps you can take to add value to your house. 1. Smarten up the outside of the house First impressions are...More

• Do you need insurance for your farmers’ market stall? 17 January, 2012
  

  Farmers' markets have seen a huge increase in popularity in recent years, and can be really beneficial to farmers and small businesses. As well as providing a base for you to sell your products, if you don't have your own shop, they are a great way of meeting potential new customers and introducing more people to your products.   As with any...More

• Message to all farmers from the Environment Agency 09 January, 2012

  Although we have just experienced one of the mildest Decembers for several years, recent reports warn the weather is set to change as we enter 2012. Cold winter weather can bring significant challenges for farmers - one of which, currently being highlighted by the Environment Agency Manure and other organic waste Farmers should never apply any...More

• Employing migrant workers 28 December, 2011
  

  The recent case of a dairy farmer from Oxfordshire given a conditional discharge after using an unlicensed labour provider shows the importance of making the right checks when employing migrant workers, says Stephens Scown's If a farmer wants to take on temporary staff, one option might be to use a labour provider. However, the farmer must make...More

• The dangers of slurry pits 22 December, 2011
  

  The tragic death of a teenager from Cornwall who fell into a slurry pit in his tractor serves as a timely reminder about the very real dangers that are ever present on farms.  Only last month, an inquest ruled that 16-year old Jordan Orriss from Wadebridge suffocated as a result of an accident near Padstow in 2010, when the clutch system on...More

• Insuring yourself against accidents and injuries this winter 15 December, 2011
  

  Winter has arrived, and if this one follows the pattern of recent years, we all need to take extra care as the ground turns icy. Minor accidents such as slips and trips happen all the time, and life carries on as usual - but have you thought about how you and your family might cope if you were to sustain a more serious accident or injury this...More

• Home Safety at Christmas 01 December, 2011
  

  With just over three weeks until Christmas, many of us are starting to prepare our homes for the festive season. Whilst decorating the house can be fun, there are a few things to bear in mind so that your family and home remain safe. David Shepherd at Safety Cornwall Ltd has the following advice: Decorations Christmas trees should not be sprayed...More

• Is your vehicle fit for winter? 24 November, 2011
  

  When the sun is out and it's a calm autumnal day with not a cloud in the sky, it is hard to cast your mind back to the scenes of last winter - one of the coldest on record. At Cornish Mutual, we had over 60 claims totalling more than £153,000 for vehicles damaged as a result of sliding on ice last winter. Winter is the busiest time of year for...More

• Taking on a smallholding – is it for you? 18 November, 2011
  

  Over recent years, more and more people have given up city living, escaped the 'rat-race' and moved to the countryside in search of 'the good life'. Here in the South West, we are lucky enough to have some of the best countryside in the UK, so it is not uncommon for people to do just that and change their lives forever! For many, the idea of...More

• End of Indian summer signals time to prepare for Arctic winter 10 November, 2011

  In early October, as the mercury rose in our thermometers to a record-breaking 29 degrees Celsius, the freezing temperatures for winter seemed a long way off. Sadly, after having enjoyed the Indian summer, the reality of our usual British autumn/winter weather has returned and we are told to expect an arctic winter. Over the past two winters at...More

• A quick guide to our current claims process 03 November, 2011

  Having to make a claim on your insurance can be a very stressful and drawn-out experience, even more so if your insurance company does not keep you informed of how they are handling your claim and the progress they are making with it. At Cornish Mutual we pride ourselves on a straightforward and fair claims process, therefore we have put together...More

• Planning for the reduction in machinery allowances 27 October, 2011

  Now that the harvest is in and things are starting to quieten down on farms during the autumn and winter months, careful thought should be given to capital expenditure plans on tractors and machinery before next April. At present businesses obtain the annual investment allowance (AIA) on expenditure up to £100,000 for which they get 100%...More