This is my final blog for a few months as I’ve decided to cut down on some of my media work – it was starting to get a little too much and there’s only so much you can write about bridging! (ed. note: Says who, Rob!) Thanks to all those who have understood when I upset them; I can assure you it was always my intention!

I’m delighted to announce that one of the nicest guys in the short term lending industry, Bob Sturges, Head of Communications at Omni Capital is taking over. Whoops, sorry I meant Martin Gilsenan, Omni’s Sales Director. Naturally, Bob will have nothing to do with this…

The last seven days have been nice and busy - there appears to be no end in sight for bridging and commercial finance. Speaking to a few of the lenders and distributors at B&C’s Directors' Lunch last Thursday, it was good to see that this is a feeling shared by pretty much everyone in the industry.

It was good to catch up with most of the 80 invited guests and to spend a few hours with the ‘bridging hard-core’ afterwards. When I left members of West One Loans, Enterprise Finance, Dragonfly Property Finance (not drinking), SPF Loans and Vantage Finance teams at 9pm in the Harvey Nicks Bar, the party appeared to be going strong. It’s a sign of how old I have suddenly become that I felt like the ‘old man’ of the group. To be fair, I wouldn’t want most of those in attendance on my ‘Bridging Basketball Team’ anyway, and only young Lucy would have made it into my ‘Bridging Rugby Team’.

For the next four months I will be mostly working, going on the odd holiday, attending awards dos (in the most part not winning) and doing my little bit to get UKPLC moving. Try not to miss me too much and enjoy ‘Old Blue Eyes’ as he’s a top lad and is the world’s biggest proponent of ‘the man hug’, closely followed by yours truly of course. Thanks for reading my complete drivel, but understand that it was frequently written late at night, quite often from various M1 service stations, almost always with no structure and always with the right intentions. I may be back late summer, so lenders please don’t forget!

Goodbye for now,

Big Man.