Shropshire insurance group launches new arm of the business for woodland owners

Fiveways Insurance Group, which has offices in Newport and Stafford, has launched Woodways Woodland Insurance and already has a specialist portfolio of more than 1,250 policyholders.

Woodways is the third brand within the independently owned insurance group after the launch of Greenways Insurance for electric vehicle owners in 2016.

Nigel West runs Fiveways Insurance Group with his wife, Lisa, and their son Daniel.

The firm, which recently became a patron of Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, was originally established in 1967 and subsequently taken over by Nigel’s parents in 1983.

“Woodways Woodland Insurance is a fantastic new arm of the Fiveways Insurance group," said Nigel. "Through our long term connections within the insurance industry, the opportunity arose to secure a portfolio of woodland owners from across the UK and we didn’t hesitate.

“This is just the start for Woodways Woodland Insurance and we are looking forward to meeting many more woodland owners to learn from each other and share our knowledge in order to develop the Woodland scheme for the benefit of our woodland owners.

“What has already surprised us is the number of landowners who have been told or believe they don’t need insurance.

“We want to share our insurance industry experience which spans more than 50 years and make sure people are appropriately covered for the circumstances they could face,” he added.

Emma Whittall, who has worked for Fiveways Insurance Group for over 21 years, has secured promotion to head up the Woodways Woodland team.

The woodland insurance scheme launched by Woodways is available to owners of woodlands across the UK up to 150 hectares in size.

“We know we have just a handful of the total number of woodland, forestry and landowners across the country," said Emma. "And so we will be visiting trade exhibitions and teaming up with other woodland organisations to meet more people and to promote the availability of this woodland owners insurance scheme.

“So far our customers have enjoyed our exceptional customer service and appreciate the independence of our firm with real people at the heart of the team - there’s no call centres here!

“This is an exciting time of investment in the Fiveways group and we look forward to expanding across all sectors – particularly woodlands for Woodways and the electric vehicle sector for Greenways,” Mr West added.