Scottish Financial Enterprise “Houseboat Picton Was Everything We Ever Had!"

Mr. David Shearer is a Director at Scottish Financial Enterprise.  http://www.sfe.org.uk/info/about_sfe . He is also Chairman of the Crest Nicholson Group. Crest Nicholson evicted the Shaloms more than four years ago, from their own House-boat which was at Penarth Marina in Cardiff Bay, Wales. Their home was seized and destroyed. Their possessions still remain seized and not all are accounted for.


With no response from an earlier appeal to the Scottish Financial Enterprise Board of Directors, the Family has separately invited the members for a little help. Last night’s reception also seemed the perfect opportunity for the members and the SFE Board of Directors to network, socialise and talk about things held in common, such as the Shalom Family appeals for help.


The letters submitted to SFE Board of Directors, SFE Members and John Campbell SFE Chairman, are reproduced below.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

25th October 2007
A Family Letter to:


Scottish Financial Enterprise

For the Attention of:

John Campbell, Gordon Arthur, Hywel Ball, John Gill, Adrian Grace, Paul Hally,
Anne Richards, Ben Thomson, Donald Workman.



Dear Directors, Board Members,


David Shearer – Your Associate – Scottish Financial Enterprise/

Chairman Crest Nicholson Group

The Shalom Family Campaign for Social Justice




With reference to the above and further to our enquiries made today, we would be very grateful for your little consideration and perhaps assistance.


Our Family, with five children, was evicted some four years ago on 28th October 2003, with our own Houseboat Home of 14 years, from a Crest Nicholson development at Penarth Marina, just inside Cardiff Bay in Wales. Our Home, which was our property, was seized and later destroyed. Our entire Family’s personal private possessions were also seized and have still not been returned to us.



Although the matter was indeed handled through the courts and judgment was made against our Family, essentially on the grounds of trespass, we believe, that Crest Nicholson acted immorally, in creating the whole situation. Their immoral actions absolutely guaranteed successful court proceedings. The detail of that matter is recorded to our official Shalom Family Campaign for Social Justice Website at  http://www.mvpicton.co.uk and we would be very grateful if you would avail your goodselves of the pertinent facts and more background details to our case.



It has recently come to our attention that Mr. David Shearer, former director of HBOS plc, a company that was indeed listed as a ‘major investor’ with Crest Nicholson, at the time of our eviction, (and aware of our Family Campaign for Social Justice) has also recently been appointed as Chairman of the Crest Nicholson Group.


Most regrettably, it would seem that Crest Nicholson is presently a little reticent in advertising this fact. Clearly, your company is not as reticent.


After four years of determined and polite enquiry with Crest Nicholson and various other third parties, including major investors, our Family is desperate and exhausted but we are also determined to see our enquiries through. We believe our campaign for social justice is a ‘just cause’.



Despite our many efforts we seem unable to get the best attention that we believe our Family deserves, of the Crest Nicholson Board of Directors, and it is to this effect, and mindful of your associations with Mr. Shearer, that we would be very grateful if you would kindly, “blow in his ear”. With respect!


We hope you will understand and accept this open appeal as intended. We hope you are not offended in our approach to you, but as we say, we are desperate and sick of the injustice which has been done to our Family. Any help which could be initiated by your organisation, and/or, any of your goodselves, would be most welcome and very much appreciated.


Should you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards,


Yours sincerely,




Vince and Marie Louise Shalom

With our children, Hannah, Naomi, Rachel, Rebekah and Jessica
(Formerly of the Houseboat M V Picton, Penarth Marina, Cardiff Bay, Wales).
...............................................................................................................


29th November 2007
A Family Letter to : Members and Associates of Scottish Financial Enterprise,

Aberdeen Asset Management Plc, Accenture (UK) Ltd, Adam & Company Group plc, AEGON Asset Management UK, AEGON UK, Alliance Trust PLC, Artemis Investment Management, ASA International Limited, Awards UK Ltd, Baillie Gifford & Co, Bank of England, Bank of New York Ltd, Bank of Scotland, Bell Lawrie, BNP Paribas Securities Services, BP, Brodies LLP, Capgemini UK plc, Change Recruitment Group, Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland, Citigroup, Clydesdale Bank plc, CMS Cameron McKenna, Cornelian Asset Managers Ltd, Deloitte LLP, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP, Dunfermline Building Society, eFinancialCareers, Ernst & Young LLP, F&C Asset Management plc, Fidelity International, First State Investments, Franklin Templeton Investments, Genesis Strategic Management Consultants, Glasgow Investment Managers Ltd, Harvey Nash (Scotland) Ltd, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, HSBC Bank plc, Instinet Alpha Ltd, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, Interactive Data, JP Morgan Europe Ltd, KPMG LLP, Law Society of Scotland, Lloyds TSB Scotland, LogicaCMG, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP, Martin Currie Investment Management Ltd, Mazars LLP, McGrigors LLP, mform, Microcom Financial Services Training, Morgan Stanley, Morse, Newton Investment Management Ltd, Noble Grossart Ltd, Noble Group Ltd, Norwich Union Insurance, Odgers Ray & Berndtson, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Prudential

Resolution Asset Management, Resolution plc, Scottish Mutual Assurance Limited, Scottish Provident Limited, Phoenix Life Assurance Limited, RESPONSE, RIA Capital Markets, Royal Bank of Scotland Commercial Services, Royal Bank of Scotland Corporate & Commercial Banking Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Ryden LLP, Scott Logic, Scott-Moncrieff, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Life, Scottish Life International, Bright Grey, Scottish Widows, Scottish Widows Bank, Scottish Widows Investment Partnership, Securities & Investment Institute, Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP, Standard Life, Standard Life Bank, Standard Life Investments, State Street Corporation, Style Financial Services, Tata Consultancy Services, Telekurs Financial, Thomson Financial, University of Glasgow/GU Holdings, Xerox Scotland.


Scottish Financial Enterprise (FSE)

FSE Annual Dinner and The Innovators Awards Ceremony

Edinburgh International Conference Centre

29th November 2007

The Shalom Family Campaign for Social Justice

Please Help Us



With reference to the above, we are writing to you specifically because you or your organisation is a listed member of Scottish Financial Enterprise, registered at 24 Melville Street, Edinburgh, Scotland EH3 7NS.


Our Family, with five children, was evicted some four years ago on 28th October 2003, (with our own Houseboat Home of 14 years), from a Crest Nicholson development at Penarth Marina, just inside Cardiff Bay in Wales. Our Home, which was our property, was seized, taken to England and later destroyed. Our Family’s entire personal private possessions which were also seized have still not been returned to us. We believe the whole matter was heavy handed and unnecessary.


In the first instance, we would be very grateful if you would kindly visit our ‘Shalom Family Campaign for Social Justice’ website, at the following internet web address: -  http://www.mvpicton.co.uk. Thank you.


Please have a good look. We have nothing to hide or be ashamed of. Please understand exactly what has happened to our Family, the way it happened and why. Please understand who did it. Please understand who was responsible. Even though it has been four years, we live with the consequences every day.


We believe that our Family Campaign for Social Justice is correctly founded upon right- principles, of correct morality and ethics. We are also mindful of the issues raised in connection with Corporate Social Responsibility.


Our Family has respectfully made various enquiries to try to focus the minds of individuals and corporations involved or associated with this matter, including the Board of Directors at Scottish Financial Enterprise and in particular, Mr. David Shearer of the Crest Nicholson Group. Numerous Family appeals were also submitted to Mr. Shearer in his capacity as director of HBOS plc, when that company was, in turn, listed as a major shareholder in Crest Nicholson Plc. For the benefit of doubt, we understand that Bank of Scotland, a subsidiary of the HBOS plc group, is now currently the co-owner of the Crest Group, via the consortium investment vehicle known as Castle Bidco. This entity is in itself, a subsidiary of West Coast Capital.


The latest of our Family appeals for help is posted on an internet video hosting site at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDrsiWwXdEg


We fully accept that your organisation may not be involved in any way whatsoever with the events or what has happened to our Family. However, we believe that you would want to know of your associations with those who are.


We are aware of the FSE Annual Dinner and The Innovators Awards Ceremony at Edinburgh International Conference Centre. We respectfully invite and suggest that this may be an ideal opportunity to hold forum about this matter in a most relaxed atmosphere. Should you or your organisation be attending this event, or if you consider that an alternative method of approach is more suitable, we would be very grateful if you would bring this matter to the attention of the Board of Directors of Scottish Financial Enterprise.


Should you have any queries or concerns, please contact us.

Kind regards,





Yours sincerely,


Marie Louise and Vince Shalom
With our daughters, Hannah, Naomi, Rachel, Rebekah and Jessica

Formerly of the Houseboat M V Picton
A Safe and Satisfactory Family Home of 14 years.

c.c.

The Board of Directors
John Campbell , Gordon Arthur, Hywel Ball, John Gill, Adrian Grace, Paul Hally, Anne Richards, David Shearer, Ben Thomson, Donald Workman
Scottish Financial Enterprise
24 Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7NS

Faxed to: +44 (0)131 247 7709
Emailed to:  info@sfe.org.uk
………………………………………………………………………………………………


11th December 2007
A Family Letter to The Chairman of Scottish Financial Enterprise

John Campbell
Chairman
Scottish Financial Enterprise
24 Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7NS

URGENT Fax to: +44 (0)131 247 7709




Dear Mr. Campbell,



Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE)

Chairman’s Reception Edinburgh Castle Today

The Shalom Family Campaign for Social Justice Appeals



With reference to the above our Family wishes you a very pleasant evening. We hope that it is a success in every way that you and the SFE members would like it to be.


In light of our recent Family appeals to both the Board of Directors at Scottish Financial Enterprise, and similarly, to the members of Scottish Financial Enterprise, may we kindly suggest and urge you to consider, that your Edinburgh Castle reception this evening, presents an ideal opportunity to discuss matters raised in our appeals, with SFE members directly.


You see the thing is Mr. Campbell, our Home of 14 years, and everything in it, meant everything to us. Houseboat Picton was everything we ever had. We would be very grateful if you would keep this thought in mind at your private viewing of the Scottish Crown Jewels this evening.





Kind regards,



Yours sincerely,




Marie Louise and Vince Shalom
With our daughters, Hannah, Naomi, Rachel, Rebekah and Jessica

Formerly of the Houseboat M V Picton
A Safe and Satisfactory Family Home of 14 years.



P.S. We thought you might like to know that M V Picton was built in Fife, Scotland, by J. N. Miller and Sons, in 1964. It was not an ‘old’ anything, and was built very strongly and maintained (where permitted!) very well, despite what some others may wish to suggest. Records exist for a reason and we have them all!

c.c.

The Board of Directors
John Campbell , Gordon Arthur, Hywel Ball, John Gill, Adrian Grace, Paul Hally, Anne Richards, David Shearer, Ben Thomson, Donald Workman
Scottish Financial Enterprise
24 Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7NS

Faxed to: +44 (0)131 247 7709
Emailed to:  info@sfe.org.uk

E-mailed Tom Whittles
Communications Coordinator
 twhittles@sfe.org.uk

…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Letters end.

As an aid, to remind members of the reality of what has happened, and as a small token of appreciation for the interest shown by some members to date, the Shaloms have produced their own Scottish Financial Enterprise 2008 Year at A Glance Calendar. It is available for free, ready to print, via download from their website at the following link at  http://www.mvpicton.co.uk/cache/Scottish%20Financial%20Enterprise%202008%20Year%20At%20A%20Glance%20Calendar.pdf

Houseboat Eviction Latest News  http://www.mvpicton.co.uk/latest_news.htm

END.
-------