Resisting the fate

Overheard has discovered that Nick Jones, head of claims management at the RAC, was in a punk band at university but said it would be impolite to reveal the lyrical content of some of their songs. Jones seemed to be doing a good job of resisting the fate of many an angry young man - i.e. in becoming a grumpy old one.

Overheard was pleased to learn that Retirement Insurance.co.uk is adding an extra 10% of cover to its contents policy during the Christmas and New Year period. The extra cover includes freezer contents, so if your freezer breaks down before Christmas Day, the turkey is covered.

However, Andrew Paddick, president of the Institute of Insurance Brokers, has learnt that you cannot plan for events on the Atlantic Ocean. Paddick missed the annual IIB reception at the Houses of Parliament as he was sailing across the Atlantic on a 40-foot yacht. Barbara Bradshaw, director and secretary of the IIB, who opened the annual event in Paddick's absence, was coy about his misadventures. Suffice to say his voyage hadn't been without incident. John Greenway offered his view by way of further explanation, adding that Paddick is said to have had a rough time after losing a sail and being pursued by pirates - which turned out to be the Financial Services Authority. Bradshaw would like to point out that Paddick is not sailing the yacht he apparently built himself.

Paul Bimson of public relations agency The Writer, who researched and wrote articles for Close Premium Finance among others, has taken a leap into a new career - a leap that few in the industry make. Overheard understands that Bimson downed the pen in December to take up the headphones as a full-time DJ.