Yorkshire_lad,
I recently obtained an unsecured loan with HSBC to the tune of £15k. My loan manager even hinted that they would have been prepared to loan more unsecured based on individual circumstances. The re-payment terms are very very reasonable and my loan manager has been incredibly generous, fair and attentive to all my requests.
I'm in Yorkshire also, let me know if you want more details.
MD
P.S I got this loan before all the September 11th fallout so I don't really know how the situation is at present.