About Us

At the age of 15, I became an apprentice Jockey Riding for Mick Masson in Lewis near Brighton. My Claim to fame was beating Lester Piggot in the Stewards Cup at Goodwood (Now, I don’t tell everyone this, but I finished 9th, and he finished 10th). After doing various jobs, including being a milkman, I started in the Financial Industry as an Insurance Adviser with Royal London in 1991. It was with Royal London that I learned what I now know about the Financial Trade. After 12 fantastic years, I decided to take my Mortgage exams and go into the Mortgage Market. In 2003 I moved into Coley Thomson Estate Agents in Rushden on a self-employed basis working with David Thomson as a Mortgage Adviser. I learned all about the Mortgage Market under David and had some wonderful memories working alongside Kevin Coley and all the staff that worked for David at the Hannah Corporation. In 2018 it was time to set up on my own, Hockridge Mortgages & Insurance Brokers. I would like to take the time to say we have had a fantastic 4 years at Church Street, where we have grown from 3 employees to 12 (which is why we have had to move to bigger premises). I would like a special mention to all my staff, Dani, Hayley, Sorcha, Luane, Sam, Gemma, Connor, Teresa, Scott, Carrie and Sadie. You have all been fantastic and I couldn't have done this without you so a big, big THANK YOU. Finally, I would like to say thank you to all my clients, who for the last 24 years have been loyal and faithful to me. I will carry on providing you with the best Level of service possible for the foreseeable future.

Gemma has been with Hockridge’s since 2012 and was originally a PA within the business. After working alongside Melvyn for 3 years, she was advised to take her Mortgage Exams as we thought she would make a great addition to the team as an adviser, and we weren’t wrong. She has progressed into a fantastic Mortgage adviser with all the best qualities that you need in this industry, always has a smile on her face, makes sure everyone has a cup of tea and her favourite biscuit is a classic Bourbon. Gemma is a mother to two beautiful children Henry and Monica-May who keep her on her toes. Gemma is not just a pretty face, she has a degree in Dance and Drama, and in her spare time she teaches Bokwa, loves muddy runs so regularly does the Wolf run and is training for a half marathon. Gemma is one of the driving forces behind the business and is now Co-Director alongside Melvyn & Sam.

Sam joined Hockridges in 2020 after the Covid 19 pandemic and joined the team as a PA learning the ropes from scratch and soon became advising in 2021 after passing her exams and gaining a better understanding of the mortgage market. She has many years of experience working closely with clients face to face after starting a career in sales at the local Evening Telegraph selling advertising to local businesses looking to promote their brand and services. Sam then moved over to the Chronicle & Echo and Image magazine doing the same role and ended her advertising career at the Yellow Pages, seeing them move into the modern world and selling a portfolio of digital products like Websites, online directories and Google Ad campaigns. After having 2 children she decided it was time for a change and came to work for Hockridge Mortgages. Originally a Hockridge, Sam soon fitted in very well with the team but is the loudest in the office and unfortunately doesn't make enough cups of tea. However, she always looks after her customers extremely well so you are in good hands. Being a mum of boys, she spends most of her spare time on the sideline of a Rugby pitch, but she also loves socialising with good friends and family. As times change and the need for the company to evolve, Sam has recently become Co- Director of the business and will continue to serve our clients for the foreseeable future.

Sorcha joined Hockridge Mortgages in 2022 but we’ve worked together for the last 16 years. She comes with a wealth of knowledge in financial services and has had many different previous roles, from advising on life insurance to managing the operations of a mortgage business. She gained her mortgage qualifications in 2020 and is a great addition to our team. In the office she rivals Sam with how loud she is on the phone and she’s our ‘go to’ person when we get any complex insurance cases as she enjoys the challenge. At home, Sorcha is a mum of 2 boys and she fancies herself as a bit of country girl; she loves horse riding, has her own allotment and enjoys spending time with her family

Melvyn’s son Connor, is our newest recruit, he started his working life being an apprentice plumber for a local firm, and at age 23 bought his first house. After exploring the world and travelling for a few years, which included working in Australia and living in Ibiza, Connor returned home in 2021 and went back into a plumbing role where he realised it wasn't what he really wanted to do. He has always wanted to go into the financial world so has taken a big step and started at Hockridges as a Case manager in 2023. Following on from this he has now qualified as a Mortgage adviser and continues to study to hopefully expand into the world of Pensions & Investments and we hope to add this to the list of our services in the near future.

Luane is a Mortgage Adviser that works for us at Hockridge Mortgages & Insurance, who had worked in the Banking Industry for over 30 years in Woolwich, TSB, Lloyds Bank, Barclays Bank and HSBC. She started out on the till and trained in many areas, arranging loans and overdrafts. Luane then went on to taking her Financial Exams so that she could become a Mortgage Adviser and then continued in her training to earn a Chartered Institute of Insurance Diploma in Financial Planning, and eventually ended up as an Independent Financial Adviser arranging Investments, pensions and protection. Unfortunately, several Banks were changing how Investment Banking was done – therefore, Luane felt a change was needed and decided to return to Mortgage Advising as it had been an area that she had thoroughly enjoyed. Luane became self employed and joined Hannah Mortgages in January 2014 and then joined with Hockridge in 2019. Luane is the most funny and bubbly person you will meet and passionate about helping to make dreams come true for customers buying their new home. She has 2 teenage children and enjoys shopping trips and family days out to the theatre in London. She is also known to enjoy a cheeky glass of Prosecco on a Friday night!

And then we have our little Elf from the shelf Hayley (the reason we call her this is because she is tiny and she doesn’t stop talking about how much she loves Christmas). Hayley is one of our Personal Assistants who has been working in the industry since 2005, working for the Hannah Corporation, as an administrator. She quickly established herself and was promoted to Team Leader. After having a break to give birth to two beautiful children, she came back as a personal assistant in the mortgage department where she first established her role with Luane. In the August of 2019 we were absolutely delighted that she joined Hockridge Mortgages & Insurance and became very valuable assets to our business. Hayley strives to give all our clients a first class service and is always there to help walk you through the mortgage process whenever needed.

Dani is my PA and has been with me for nearly 6 years. Before coming to work with me, Dani worked at Nationwide as a customer service adviser, dealing with customer’s mortgages, banking, and loans. After working at Nationwide for 2 years, Dani decided she wanted to work much closer with and have day to day contact with customers. Since working with us Dani has become a first-time mum to her daughter Molly and spends her days off with her family and planning to become Mrs Coelho in the near future. Personally, I cannot praise this young lady enough; Her work ethic is amazing and, if you ask any of my clients about her, you will only hear glowing reports. Dani ensures that our clients are kept updated throughout the mortgage process and provides the best possible service.

Teresa started working for Hockridge Mortgages in February 2023 as a Personal Assistant. She previously worked as an Accounts Payable Assistant for RCI Europe dealing with suppliers’ invoices and employees expenses. Unfortunately, after 18 years of service Teresa was made redundant as her job was being relocated overseas, however, an opportunity came along to work at the family business, Hockridge’s, which couldn't have come at a better time. Learning something completely different to the accounting world was a bit of a challenge for her at first but being the particular person she is and having the support from her colleagues, she has managed to understand the mortgage market and is now a very valued member of our team. Outside of work Teresa likes nothing better than socialising with her friends and family.