A NATIONAL rural insurance specialist is strengthening its presence in Yorkshire with the launch of a new division headquartered in York. NFU Mutual has created NFU Mutual Vale of York, bringing together its existing offices in Thirsk and York as it makes moves to grow new talent within the workforce.

The insurer says it will maintain its local presence in each location while building upon its expertise across insurance and financial services.

The partnership will also see the appointment of three new employees, including two staff from the Regional Service Centre who bring experience from the heart of NFU Mutual.

The new recruits will join a team of 16 staff based across the two agencies, in addition to two financial advisers covering the area.

The firm is still looking to recruit a third team member. Having been insurance agents since 1993, David Palmer and Jenny Dawson formed a partnership in October 2016 with Matthew Cliff, the established insurance expert from what was NFU’s Ebor branch.

The team welcomed new agent Huw Bell to the partnership in August 2017 when the Ebor office was merged and relocated to the NFU premises in Tadcaster Road following the retirement of long term agent Bill Selman.

Mr Cliff, who worked in the Ebor branch as an insurance advisor when it was first established in 2010 built the business from scratch.

With the departure of the office manager at the time, Mr Cliff progressed firstly to that role and then into the agent position he holds today.

Mr Cliff said: “David and Jenny were already well established in the Thirsk area, it is a great opportunity for me to have access to their expertise and work alongside such experienced colleagues

as well as having the challenge of growing the business further in the York area.”

The new NFU Mutual Vale of York office was officially opened earlier this month by Lord Lieutenant Barry Dodd.

NFU Mutual offers a wide range of products, including general insurance, life, pensions, and investments.

With more than 300 offices in rural towns and villages throughout the UK, NFU Mutual specialises in serving the needs of people who visit, live or work in the countryside.