The Shalom Family appeal to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, is reproduced in full below.



The Prime Minister
The Rt. Hon Mr. Gordon Brown MP
No. 10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA

28th October 2008


Dear Prime Minister,


Our Shalom Family Campaign for Social Justice

Please Help Us



Five years ago today our Family was immorally evicted from ‘Picton’, our own houseboat property, our own, debt-free home, of 14 years. Our home was seized by Her Majesty’s High Court Sheriff, along with all of our personal private possessions in, or on it, including our children’s 7 pet goldfish. Our Home has been utterly destroyed. Her Majesty’s High Court Sheriff has just recently advised us that all our possessions have been “disposed of”.


On the face of it, you may well prefer to consider that the matter is personally nothing to do with you, is of no reasonable concern to the office you occupy, of no ‘national interest’, or anything that could possibly serve the best interests, of Her Majesty’s Government. With great respect, we wish to disabuse you of any such notions. With the benefit of the fuller circumstances and in view of our totally unnecessary losses to date, we seek your help.


Today, being the fifth anniversary of this immoral event, we believe it is essential that you are made aware of pertinent facts to our situation, as we try to condense this ‘morality tale’. We ask for your utmost attention.


The eviction from our live-aboard community at Penarth Marina in Cardiff Bay, Wales, followed a full-scale legal action, in a civil dispute, about matters of ‘trespass’, between us and Crest Nicholson Marinas Limited, a subsidiary company of Crest Nicholson Plc.


Background Details – An Act of Negligence

It remains undisputed, that Crest Nicholson Marinas Limited caused a night time grounding accident to our houseboat home at Penarth Marina, Cardiff Bay on April 2nd 2000. The Penarth Marina lock gates were deliberately opened by Crest Nicholson Marinas Limited, (to empty the marina for essential maintenance purposes) but the company did not inform us that they intended to do this.


The Consequences and Overall Situation Explained

Our 33-40 tonne houseboat became grounded on the marina floor and fell sideways with a big bang, striking the marina’s floating pontoon. Such was the impact that one of our four daughters was thrown clear of her bunk bed! Mrs. Shalom was also eight months pregnant at the time. Although our home was comprehensively insured at the time of this accident, just two days later, Crest Nicholson asked us to leave the marina. We considered this rather bizarre suggestion as totally reckless in the circumstances and we were later proved that it was not without good reason. Subsequently, the hull of Picton developed a leak.



Our Attempts to Mitigate the Loss

We again informed our insurers. We immediately commissioned a professional surveyor to prepare a damage inspection report. We raised quotations for divers and requested permission to send down divers to prepare a damage inspection report. Permission was inexplicably denied by Crest Nicholson. It became apparent (we now believe that Crest knew exactly what they were doing) that in order to renew our insurance, (which was compulsory in our ‘terms of agreement’ with the marina company,) our insurance company, not unreasonably insisted, that it was absolutely necessary for our home to be slipped, or hoisted clear of the water, in order for a meaningful survey/inspection/repair to be carried out. Only then, subject to a satisfactory survey/inspection/repair, could we gain insurance on our home.


Consequently, we raised quotations and requested permission from Crest Nicholson for us to be able to haul our home onto the purpose built ‘Emergency Lifting Pad’ at Penarth Marina. However, Crest Nicholson advised us that this area and facility was the responsibility of their commercial landlords, the Vale of Glamorgan Council and that our enquiry should go to them. So it did, but the Vale of Glamorgan Council, in turn, advised us that this area and facility was actually the responsibility of Crest Nicholson Marinas Limited, and that our enquiry should go to them! Subsequently, we made fresh enquiries to the marina company, for permission to haul-out our home to the on site ‘Emergency Lifting Pad’ but yet again, permission was once again inexplicably denied.


Hindsight now teaches us that our position was fated and quite deliberate. Crest Nicholson were, at the very least, acting against all common decency, totally against any good spirit of moral corporate responsibility.

Crest Nicholson deliberately would not grant us the necessary permissions, in order for us to bring about the repairs, which would in turn bring our home into an insurable, and /or insured state or condition. The company apparently knew what they were doing.



In our extra efforts to save our home, we raised further enquiry and quotations for towage and repair yard facilities elsewhere but nobody would tow our home anywhere without insurance. Even the repair yard contacts so ‘kindly’ prepared and submitted to us by Crest Nicholson would not receive our home, into repair, without insurance in place.


Extra Notes

With a trained solicitor as Chief Executive Officer of Crest Nicholson at the time, we believe the company was directed to ‘wait’ until our insurance expired. When it transpired that we could not get insurance cover, Crest Nicholson followed the matter along the lines of ‘breach of contract’, (as our home was not insured), issued us with an official, ‘notice to quit’, subsequently refused to accept our mooring fees, (after the minimum legal timeframe had passed) and then sought full scale legal eviction on grounds of trespass, since we were not (able or allowed to be) paying mooring fees.


For the benefit of doubt we kindly advise that Mr. John Callcutt was Crest Nicholson’s Chief Executive Officer at that time. His contract and legal duties to the company meant that he was solely responsible for enforcing health and safety in the Crest Nicholson Group, including Crest Nicholson Marinas Limited.


From the record, having exhausted all sensible enquiries, both in the lower ranks of elected members of government, including our former Member of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Mr. Alun Michael MP and elsewhere; with members of the devolved administrations of government at the National Assembly for Wales/Wales Assembly Government, you should be aware that we have respectfully and repeatedly tried to bring this immoral matter to the attention of central government, including but not limited to, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the Rt. Hon Jack Straw, the Home Office, and your erstwhile colleague and former Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair. We believe we have made every reasonable and respectful effort to alert Government of corporate bullying and what seems to be, in our case, more than just Government acquiescence of same.


We believe that our previous delivery of petition to Mr. Blair at No 10 Downing Street seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Likewise, our previous two attempts to petition the Prime Minister online at  http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/ have also been rejected on what again appears to be a poor excuse, of not understanding our concerns. For the benefit of doubt, we should like to clarify.


You should be aware that the United Kingdom Government, (in the form of the Department for Communities and Local Government), appointed Mr. John Callcutt to Chief Executive Officer of English Partnerships, the national regeneration agency of England, in May 2006.


You will be aware that upon advice received from the UK Government’s senior civil servants, independent experts and finally, your former colleague and Prime Minister Mr. Tony Blair, that Her Majesty the Queen, bestowed high honour and respect, in the form of ‘Commander of the Order of the British Empire’, to Mr. John Callcutt in June 2006.



We believe the UK Government has demonstrated and developed a ‘blind spot’ towards our awful situation, yet at the same time has apparently piled, high regard, honour and reward, to Mr. John Callcutt CBE, by yet further appointment to him, to ‘head up’ the ‘Callcutt Review’, of house building delivery. We are also aware of the multimillion pound deals that are continuously orchestrated between English Partnerships (soon to be restructured as the ‘Homes and Communities Agency’) and Crest Nicholson.


We readily accept that the government has a huge responsibility in managing the affairs of state and we also accept that, for the most part, the government cannot be seen to intervene with individual or private matters between third parties. However, in these dire circumstances, we seek only a ‘fair’ and ‘just’ solution to our Family Campaign. Presently, we have lost everything and we respectfully seek full compensation commensurate to our true losses to date. To this effect, we ask you to urge all parties involved to reconsider the matter. We also seek answers.


Recent events to the United Kingdom’s and the world’s international financial systems has not escaped our attention, neither has your personal, well publicised, and government intervention, (presumed to be acting upon the moral imperative) to secure the continuation of the business known as HBOS Bank Plc, to a merger with Lloyds TSB Group Plc.


We kindly draw to your attention that these two companies were original ‘major shareholders’, in the Crest Nicholson Group, along with Legal & General and each of them have been made aware of the facts of our immoral eviction. In any event, it is also acknowledged that Legal and General are presently listed as major shareholder in Lloyds TSB and fully supportive of the Lloyds TSB Takeover.


It would seem that Sir Tom Hunter’s West Coast Capital and HBOS Plc currently co-own the Crest Nicholson Group Limited, but since your direct intervention, and that of the UK Government, to sure-up and secure the future of the HBOS Group Plc, it leaves us bewildered to understand exactly who owns what. Please help us find out.


Returning to the time of the eviction.

29th October 2003, South Wales Police felt it necessary to coerce our family, (warning us of the real risk that failure to comply with them would result in our children being taking into the care of social services), into making ready, for a full scale night-time police evacuation of our home, whilst it was already evicted from the Penarth Marina, yet still upon the waters of Cardiff Bay. Although the matter is duly logged, ‘Inspector of police’ with the Cardiff Harbour Authority - Barrage Control, in the event, and without any explanation, the South Wales Police did not show up to their arranged Family evacuation. Please help us find out why this happened.


Returning to Her Majesty’s High Court Sheriff - Disposal of our personal possessions.

Despite many requests to Her Majesty’s High Court Sheriff, not to dispose of, scrap, sell or destroy our possessions, we have been devastated to be only recently informed that our personal private possessions have been disposed of. There are no words adequate to describe how we feel about this latest turn of events. It involves everything that one could imagine in the build up of a decent Family Home of 14 years. We must stress that we were never given opportunity to verify our possessions seized.
We were never provided sensible opportunity to pay for the storage costs of same, despite our repeated request for the High Court Sheriff to raise invoice, so that we could pay. Please help us find out why this happened.


We would also be very grateful if you could help us find out exactly what has happened to our personal private data, (child and children photographs, private letters, bank details, birth certificates, insurance documents, driving licences, the photos and memorabilia and death certificate of our son, Joshua Benedict Shalom- who died at Home some years earlier, our marriage certificate, keys, wallets, children’s cash money boxes, passport, etc) held by any means, in our private possessions, including but not limited to our two family computers and the like. We would like to know exactly what has become of our personal and private property. Please help us find out.


In conclusion we would just like to say that we were once a very happy family, because we were living a simple life, well within our means, debt free, in a chosen way of life and in a place where we were once invited to live and wanted to live. Our home may not have been beautiful to some but nonetheless it was our home for 14 years.


We believe that any civilised Government must be accountable, that it must have a duty to lead by good example, protect the Family and those bullied and weak, whilst at the same time actively encourage responsible corporate citizenship. We do not believe that Government should prop-up, support or encourage, by any means, those who would wish to undermine these basic values.


We believe we have been let down in many ways and we respectfully ask you to help us. We kindly ask again. Please urge all parties involved to reconsider the matter and ask them to seek a comprehensive settlement towards our family, for our totally unnecessary losses to date. Please help us in all that we ask.


We look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,



Yours sincerely,

Marie Louise and Vince Shalom.






And our daughters, Hannah, Naomi, Rachel, Rebekah, Jessica.


Formerly of the Houseboat M V Picton
A safe and satisfactory Family Home of 14 years
Evicted by Crest Nicholson Marinas, Penarth Marina, Cardiff Bay Wales

Letter Ends.

A copy of the letter, addressed to Mr. Eric Daniels, CEO Lloyds TSB was also hand delivered C/o Lloyds TSB at 25 Gresham Street London.

Similarly, a copy of the letter addressed to Mr Andy Hornby CEO HBOS Plc, was delivered C/o the closest local branch of the Halifax, in Cheapside, London


Other Media Links

BBC News Wales South East reports, ‘Boat family approach PM for help’ (Please note that the Family Houseboat was their home for 14 years and not 7 as stated in the BBC NEWS report.)

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/7694265.stm

The South Wales Echo reports,
‘A FAMILY of seven who were evicted from their houseboat five years ago, are today taking their campaign to the Prime Minister’.
(Please note for clarification that the Shalom’s son, Joshua, who died on their houseboat, was two days old and not, “at the age of two”, as stated in the South Wales Echo)

 http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/10/28/a-family-of-seven-who-were-evicted-from-their-houseboat-five-years-ago-are-today-taking-their-campaign-to-the-prime-minister-91466-22129946/