News - 2017

14:47 Thursday 3 Aug 2017 Sue Pelling/LCWBuoyant times for Lendy

Liam Brooke (left) Co- Founder and Director, Lendy – Tom Gruitt/LCW

The big winds that caused the abandonment of racing today at Lendy Cowes Week is naturally disappointing for the sailors but for the shops, bars and restaurants, business is booming.

Over at the ultra busy Lendy Lounge on Cowes Parade, Liam Brooke – co founder and a Director of Lendy – found time to tell us how Lendy’s sponsorship is already proving a great success.

Brooke, who has been a regular competitor at Cowes Week for many years, is also a Commercially-endorsed Yachtmaster with 40,000 offshore miles under his belt. Commenting on what made his company decide to invest in this world class regatta, Brooke said: “Because we are sailors, we were going to come to Cowes anyway, so we thought we may as well sponsor it!”

For Brooke and his business partner Tim Gordon, Lendy the ‘course’ that led to Cowes Week sponsorship started in 2013, a year after the company was launched. Brooke continued: “Tim Gordon and I started Lendy in 2012 originally as marine pawnbrokers called lendymarine.com. We were here at Cowes in 2013 and we bought 10,000 pint glasses and put lendymarine stickers on them, handed them out to all the pubs and that was our first marketing campaign.”

Four years on and Lendy – Europe’s largest peer-to-peer secure property lending platform – is under ‘full sail’.  Brooke said: “It has been an absolute ride; screaming downwind at 30kts. Last year we did £160 million worth of lending and this year we are probably going to match that, and we are here in Cowes to attract more investors onboard and help us maintain that growth.

“We have had an absolute magnificent response from everybody here. We are overwhelmed with gratitude, which was incredibly surprising. The feeling and the warmth people have for Cowes Week is unbelievable. We have got the name out there, people are asking what we do, and that is the whole point of being here.”

Other than hosting 100s of investors on his stand this week, Brooke said one of the other most exciting activities this week happened yesterday. “ I am still smiling about my absolute unbelievable race around the Island on CQS the 100ft multi-winged supermaxi from Australia skippered by Ludde Ingvall. It really was an incredible experience that I won’t forget in a hurry.”