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My name is Victor Stewart. I was born in 1945, Wanda, my wife, in 1950. In 1980 we had returned to Derby from 3 years living and working in Majorca. I’d enjoyed working with my hands in Majorca and having done some stonework there I decided to try my hand at building stone fireplaces in Derby.

I found the work enjoyable and more profitable than the taxi driving I was then doing. Working from home and using small ads in the local newspaper I soon began to get enough work to be able to stop driving.

In 1982 we moved to a property at Uttoxeter New Road, Derby. Now working full time building fireplaces I realized that fashions were changing towards ‘Adam’ style surrounds and I realised I would need a showroom. I found empty premises and opened the showroom with Wanda in November 1984 called “Hearth & Home”- selling and fitting fireplaces and gas fires.

We had very little capital and no employees. By 1988 the business had grown and employed 15 people. The economy and the housing market was booming and after 20 years of marriage our first child was born, things couldn’t have been better.

Note: I was the only contact with the bank at any time, all major decisions taken about the business, properties and legal action were mine. Unfortunately for, my wife, Wanda, she was joined with me in all the Court actions taken by Barclays.

I would like to say now that the majority of staff at Barclays were as helpful as they could be. Those that I dealt with at branch level, however, were restricted by Regional Office in Nottingham and, of course, Head Office in London.

The blame for reckless lending and conduct of their Debt Recovery Units must lie squarely with the policymakers at Barclays Head Office.

To save them any further embarrassment I have not used full names, just initials.

STAFF INVOLVED

1981 to 1995

Various managers at Barclays’ Derby branches and the Derby Business Centre

1996 to 1999

• R.N. – Recoveries manager – Barclays Debt Recovery Unit (D.R.U), Nottingham

• K.D. – Inspector of the Banks Law Section, Head Office

• P.G. – Head of Secretariat UK Banking Services

• A.S. and others – D.R.U Regional Office, Leeds

• CEO, Chairman and other Board Members, Head Office Barclays Bank, London

OTHERS FROM BARCLAYS

• A.H. – Edge and Ellison, Barclays solicitors, Birmingham

• B.F. – Fisher Hargreaves Proctor (FHP) LPA receivers, Newark, Notts

• Browne Jacobson, Nottingham, solicitors to FHP

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT

• Rt Hon Margaret Beckett

• Rt Hon Gordon Brown

• Rt Hon Greg Knight

• Rt Hon Pauline Latham

One of Barclays internal memos mentions that I was using their symbol – an Eagle. I wasn’t… I was using my own symbol… of a Vulture.