Paul Williams started in business 25 years ago. He’s now worth £60 million and lives in a country mansion on the richest private estate in England. But for 10 days, Paul has agreed to say goodbye to his millionaire lifestyle and live undercover as part of the community on the Thorntree estate, Middlesbrough, one of the poorest areas in Britain. He wants to make a difference in people’s lives and give away some of his fortune. “When you’ve got a lot of money and wealth you do feel a little bit guilty. So one of the things for me, giving money away does, is to alleviate that guilt to some extent. It makes me feel better, it makes me feel I’m doing something and that I’m dealing with my wealth responsibly.”
But he’s not going to Middlesbrough alone. Tonight, The Secret Millionaire has decided to take his 20-year-old son Ben with him.
As a self made man, Paul tried to give Ben everything he himself didn’t have as a youngster. But now he feels it’s time to teach his son about financial responsibility and is hoping to show him what life is like without the finer things. “What I want Ben to learn from this is just what a lucky young man he is and how much he’s really got and what a privileged position he has in life”.
So father and son head north for Middlesborough to see how the other half lives. On the Thorntree estate nearly 60% of the residents aren’t working, over half the children leave school without any qualifications at all and the crime rate is 50% higher than the national average. On arrival at their new home, Paul and Ben are greeted by a local with the words “You don’t wanna live round here mate…. it’s full of heroin addicts mate, you’ll be burgled in a day”. Noticeably shocked but determined to continue their quest, Ben starts work as a volunteer in the local homeless shelter and Paul starts his search for businesses and people to invest in.
Just how easy will it be for Ben when he comes face to face with t
