Great skiing

Emma is a social worker; Rupert, meanwhile, is an inventor/entrepreneur, whose innovations so far include, inter alia, a luminous clay pigeon ("There’s a big market in Arab countries,” he avers, “and in other parts of the world where daytime temperatures are so high as to make outdoor activities unfeasible"), and a system for recycling cooking oil for conversion into biodiesel. His company has just installed the system into one of the world’s biggest fast-food chains, enabling them to recycle over seven million litres of oil per annum, in the UK alone. "The use of waste cooking oil as bio-fuel for renewable power generation provides a double benefit to society," says Rupert. "Not only does it reduce the volume of waste being disposed of to landfill; it also enables the generation of clean, sustainable and safe energy or fuel."

The couple, from Worcestershire, have been Bondholders for three years; not so long, but they’ve lost no time getting onto the pistes around Viehhofen, HPB’s Austrian home; two visits so far, plus a trip to Rocha Brava, HPB’s Portuguese base in the beautiful Algarve.

"We were told about HPB by a family friend, a Bondholder for 20 years-plus," says Emma. "The fact that the information came from someone we knew gave us confidence; and the prospect of regular ski holidays decided it!"**quote**

"We had a holiday home in Newton Ferrers, in Devon," continues Rupert. "I say we – it was kind of a family-owned affair. A lovely place, but having a holiday property in just one location – however beautiful – is a bit of a tie. An uncle of mine used it often, and eventually asked if we wanted to sell. The timing was right; we were looking to travel more widely with the boys. The sale gave us the means – and the Holiday Property Bond fitted perfectly with our plans for future holidays."

"The Bond has a very diverse property portfolio,” adds Emma. “And the fact that so many sites are driveable is a real bonus; we’re none of us mad keen on flying. There are so many beautiful locations to visit – so many holidays to look forward to! But for the time being, we’re going to concentrate on skiing. The boys love it – and so do we. It’s exhilarating, and keeps us – and them – fit; and to be able to regularly come to such a beautiful location is the icing on the cake."

"Skiing is important to us as a family," confirms Rupert. "We all love it - and Viehhofen has slopes for all abilities, which was great when the kids were learning. Our Bondholding means we can ski more or less when we want – in the right environment and the right location."