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Around Town Meets...
The Secret Millionaire’s
Gavin Wheeldon
by Geraldine May
 Many Around Town readers will have seen, and enjoyed, the recent Channel 4 TV series The Secret Millionaire. The programme featured millionaire businessmen and women going ‘undercover’ into deprived areas of the UK in search of worthy causes to help with financial donations.
One of the ‘secret millionaires’ was local businessman Gavin Wheeldon who recently spoke to Around Town about his experiences in the Welsh seaside resort of Rhyl. Here he tells us that although he thoroughly enjoyed the experience, he desperately missed his wife and family in
the process.
Gavin Wheeldon has enjoyed a meteoric rise to business success.
Since starting his language translation business in late 2003 in the back bedroom of his home in Meltham, he has seen Applied Language Solutions expand to employ over 100 staff and take on translation work for some of the biggest names in modern business.
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 After moving offices three times in Huddersfield, the business moved to Delph near Oldham in August this year and now occupies a large portion of a striking modern riverside purpose-built office complex.
His business acumen has not gone unnoticed - walk into the reception of Applied Language Solutions and you’ll be struck by the number of awards, business accolades and certificates which adorn the walls.
Channel 4 programme makers had also noticed his achievements and approached him early this year to ask if he would be willing to take part in The Secret Millionaire.
“I love the programme anyway and always try to watch it. Channel 4 had obviously spotted my name somewhere and decided to contact me. I was pretty surprised when the request came through. All the filming was done in May this year and the programme was shown in September.
“I was asked to go to Rhyl which was great for me as this was a popular holiday destination for me as a child. Obviously Channel 4 researchers find out a little about the area before filming and tell you where community centres are etc, but essentially
it was then up to me to make myself known and to find out about different local projects in need of financial help,” said Gavin.
 Gavin was away in Rhyl for 10 days during which time he was totally cut off from his wife Marie-Claire, his family and his business.
“This was the hardest part for me, being cut off from my everyday life. I missed my wife terribly and it was hard making the decisions about who to help without being able to chat it through with someone else.
“I don’t know whether I would ever do anything like this again. Although I really enjoyed it and had a great time, it was difficult being isolated and cut off from my real life,” he said.
Once in Rhyl Gavin was to give away a total of £55,000 which included a £10,000 donation which was not included in the filming sequences.
Readers who watched the programme will remember he met up with the West Rhyl Community Company which was originally set up with the help of Lottery funding to enable neighbourhood workers to engage with, and help, local residents to make informed choices and improve their quality of life.
Rhyl’s image has suffered in recent years and in 2003 West Rhyl was named as one of 14 Policing Priority Areas. However regeneration work has seen much success and North Wales Police have enjoyed considerable improvements in tackling crime in the area.
Personnel from the West Rhyl Community Company were engaged to work in the community, moving from door to door asking people how they could help. For example, they might be able to help a lonely person who would love to join a club, but who would find it hard to leave the house on their own. The workers have a good understanding of local clubs and help available.
Gavin arrived at a time when the two West Rhyl community wardens Tony and Nigel were facing an uncertain future as Lottery funding was about to run out.
He said: “This area of Rhyl is the worst part of the town and things had got pretty bad at one time. However Tony and Nigel had done some really good work in the area and helped local people with all kinds of issues from filling in forms to moving house.”
After spending time with the wardens, Gavin decided this was a very worthwhile cause and donated £30,000 to fund their wages for the next 12 months, allowing the project to continue. Following his visit to Rhyl, Gavin became a director of the company and still tries to find ways of raising future revenue for the community project.
During his time in Rhyl, Gavin also donated £10,000 to the Next Chapter Bookshop which works with the long term unemployed to try and get them back into work. Training is offered in IT, food hygiene, writing a cv and much more.
After his visit, Gavin was appointed chairman of the board and still keeps in regular contact.
He also helped a young Rhyl woman, Mel, who was keen to work in the childcare industry. Gavin’s help, which included buying her a laptop, has seen her blossom and her ambitions soar. She still keeps in regular contact with Gavin and his wife.
So what has life been like for Gavin since his TV appearance?
“Well, seeing as the viewing figures for The Secret Millionaire are 4.4 million, quite a few people saw it. Word has certainly spread about the business and I did get a number of begging letters afterwards.
“In recent months Applied Language Solutions has also got involved with good causes in our local area including charities and young carers etc.
“I’m really glad I did the programme but it was very hard work, both physically demanding and emotionally draining. We filmed for 15 hours a day for nine days, 10 nights. Although I do travel a lot in my business dealings, I always speak to my wife on the phone at least three or four times every day when I’m away.
“I did feel very isolated and cut off from my friends and family. I also wasn’t allowed to have any contact with the business.”
Did the experience change his life or surprise him in any way?
“Not really. I wasn’t surprised at how some people live. It wasn’t a shock. Spending time with the people in Rhyl was a great experience and I met some lovely people. It was a great opportunity to help some of them with their problems.”
Back at his desk in Delph, Gavin and the rest of the Applied Language Solutions team are waiting to discover if the business is about to be named in The Sunday Times list of 100 top fast track businesses, which would be particularly fitting given the company’s rapid rise to success.
Although Gavin now lives in the North of England, he is originally from Leicester but has lived in Africa, Canada and Manchester.
“I’m a bit of a nomad really, having travelled around quite a lot. Contrary to what people might think, I don’t speak other languages, just English! I act as the salesman for the business and my staff do the actual language translation work.” he said.
Gavin originally worked in the IT industry and early in the noughties was invited into another language business to offer advice on how the internet could help the business.
“They didn’t like anything I suggested but I went away and thought maybe this could work which is when I started my own business in the back bedroom. Their loss, my gain, I suppose!”
Now Applied Language Solutions works for some of the top household names, offering translation services for letters, brochures, contracts, technical journals, websites etc. Names include Google, Toshiba, Nike, Sony and Blackberry. Around 100 people now work for Gavin, including 30 at Delph and the rest in several offices overseas.
A slightly unassuming man, Gavin admits he is surprised at how quickly his business has grown. Constantly investing in the business, Gavin is never content to sit back and rest on his laurels, always moving forward and looking for the next business opportunity.
As well as highlighting the positive financial and emotional impact of modern day philanthropy, the Channel 4 programme also draws attention to Britain’s social problems in a touching and personal way.
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