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What were the highlights of your week, working undercover?
I think the whole experience of working undercover is great fun and probably appeals to my childhood dream of wanting to be a spy, I suppose this is the closest you get! I really enjoyed being able to get my hands dirty helping out with real problems and getting to know the people on a level because I'm sure if I had turned up in a suit and a Porsche I wouldn't have gotten the same welcome.
I was literally nonstop for the entire time, some days doing 15 hours from getting up to going to sleep. At the end of the period I was absolutely drained, physically, emotionally and mentally, although it was a truly amazing experience. Having been in sales from 14, I have always done pretty high pressure corporate roles, this meant I never did any of the bar type jobs that my friends did, so working in a chippy was a real eye opener!
What have you taken away from your experience and the people you met on the way?
One of the people I met, Lynn Edwards from the community bookshop, The Next Chapter, has the same drive, passion and inspiration of any entrepreneur you would ever meet. Fortunately for Rhyl, she has chosen to use all of that for the benefit of the community, training young people and getting them into work with some extra confidence and skills. Meeting people like Mel, who have been to hell and back and still manage to keep a positive forward looking attitude, really makes you realise how small some of the things you consider problems really are.
Has the Secret Millionaire experience been a reality check and has it changed your perception of society?
The whole experience reinforces the fact that this country has massive problems and that there are far too many people who just freeload off society. Having said that, what I was really pleased and surprised to see, is what a strong sense of community somewhere like west Rhyl has. I believe that through strong and cohesive societies, a real impact can be made in this country. I thought this type of community spirit was dead – fortunately I was wrong!
What was the biggest surprise that you learned about yourself?
I think there were two big surprises for me. The first was how hard it was to be out of contact with my wife, whom even whilst working away, I speak with extremely regularly. The second was that being out of contact with work didn't actually kill me and the buisness still ran well, which is a nice thing to know!
Has your experience changed your attitude to philanthropic work?
In part yes, I have always been a big believer in giving back and that is reflected in both my personal life and the work we do at Applied Language at all of our offices worldwide. I suppose if there is one thing that would change, it would be trying to get closer to the actual projects rather than giving just to a charity, which is a bit of a black box. I think the other thing that I have taken away is the belief that business skills can have a real impact on community organisations, so you can give more than money. Hopefully I will prove this with the Directorships I have taken at The Next Chapter bookshop and the West Rhyl Community Company.
More about Gavin Wheeldon
www.appliedlanguage.com/staff/gavin_wheeldon.shtml
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