Caudwell was born in Birmingham but moved with his family as a baby to Stoke-on-Trent and raised in Wellesley Street in Shelton, Staffordshire, and with his brother Brian attended Shelton Church of England School, [6] and then Berry Hill High School. His father had a stroke when Caudwell was 14 and died four years later. I had a hard time with the parts of this book that described some technical aspects of sailing the boat. It just took away from the actual story for me and there's only so many times you can hear about pumping out the bilges really. And some of the things he does to himself just has me cringing. I guess I just wouldn't take such risks with my life on an already risky adventure. But then again I was only getting part of it as I'm sure he didn't give the whole story in the book. But I did admire his courage, and the fact that he survived such a journey. Through his charities Caudwell Children, Caudwell Youth and Caudwell LymeCo, John’s present focus is on improving the evidence, research and ultimately, therapies available to those with disabilities and Lyme disease. That money helped support the Phones4U chain. But by then John had decided the time was right to get out of phone retail too.

BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, John Caudwell, businessman BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, John Caudwell, businessman

John, now aged 69 and a dad-of-six, also expressed his frustration with the UK’s criminal justice system. The accident came out of nowhere. I was on my first downhill bend of the ride and my front tyre exploded, sending me crashing to the ground.

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Phones4U was sold again in 2011 and collapsed in 2014 after mobile networks finally decided to stop selling through the chain. And it is more than merely a rags to riches story. It is a tale of battling endless career misfortunes and overcoming a series of personal tragedies to rise to the top. Failure, disaster and horrendous private heartbreaks are all part of this tale of a troubled child who never won the approval of his father who died when John was a teenager. As a signatory to the Giving Pledge, John is committed to giving at least 70 percent of his wealth to charitable causes during and after his lifetime. By signing up to the Pledge, John sits alongside Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and over 200 of the world’s wealthiest individuals who are using their personal wealth to solve humanitarian problems. John Caudwell was just 11 years old when his family decided to relocate 3.2 miles across the city from their terrace house in Wellesley Street, Shelton. The move was thrust upon a young John when the fractious relationship between his mum, Beryl, and her mother in law, Mary, became too much.

John Caudwell - Wikipedia John Caudwell - Wikipedia

When your body is pumping adrenaline, your mind is clouded with fear. If your life and the lives of your loved ones are in danger, you’d do whatever you needed to do.”

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Asked whether it was important to pass on his Stoke-on-Trent roots, John added: "I'm not too worried about my roots being instilled in the child, what I am worried about is values. And for values, you do need some degree of roots. It's making sure the child understands that they're living in a very privileged existence and that most people's lives are not like this. From that London mansion the size of Westminster Cathedral - which includes a river flowing under glass and a 120-capacity ballroom and where all guests have to remove their shoes to avoid marking the white carpets - John keeps an eye on his “ultra high net worth” development nearby. As well as Broughton Hall, John also shares his time between his Mayfair mansion and his a property in Monaco.

Desperate Voyage by John Caldwell | Goodreads Desperate Voyage by John Caldwell | Goodreads

BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE A Chanel diamond watch, serial no DX14724, stolen in a robberyfrom the home of former Phones4U chief John Caudwell Sort it out or step aside, Tory donor tells Boris Johnson". BBC News. 11 January 2022 . Retrieved 12 January 2022. The Owen Paterson controversy may have cost the Conservatives votes. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA a b c Rodger, James (10 June 2019). "Inside Birmingham billionaire's daughter's lavish wedding on dream island". BirminghamLive . Retrieved 4 May 2021.Now, people talk about Bentilee estate as a really rough place," he writes in his book. "It’s the biggest housing estate in Britain and became notorious in the 1980s when it did get pretty out of control.

Phones4U founder: tax avoidance schemes should be stamped out

It is also a very British story. Caudwell is a man who - despite his vast wealth - still knows the price of a pint of milk, buys his clothes from Marks & Spencer and despite having swapped the Michelin plant for Michelin-starred restaurants and hotels, can often be found in a roadside B&B, eating home-made sandwiches after one of his many cycling expeditions.

Life on the Bentilee estate couldn't of got off to a worst start when John's grandmother died without him having the chance to say goodbye. He attended Shelton Church of England School and then Berry Hill High School before abandoning his A-levels to become an apprentice at Michelin and later becoming a second-hand car dealer.