the rich list
The Exclusive Brethren Rich List, following our extensive investigations & research, Open & Candid have produced the brethren rich list. We will be updating this each week over the next few weeks. The information was compiled between October 2022 & March 2023. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, though we accept we may have missed links or companies. There are a number of companies owned by members of the brethren, that we would suspect to be on the rich list, but due to their unlimited status, we are unable to gain a full picture of their accounts. It is our intention to do a separate article on the unlimited companies in the next couple of months.
Global Consortium Ltd
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Family: Campbell & Andrews
Assets: £34.5 million Turnover: £43 million Employees: 163 |
Business: Care Home supplies & consultancy
Location: Horsham & Chatham Covid Contracts: Yes Website: www.blueleafcare.com |
Directors/Shareholders: Jonathan Andrews, Charlie Campbell, Nathan Campbell
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Summary
The Horsham based Global Consortium reported assets of over £34.5 million in their 2021 accounts. Included in the group are a number of subsidiaries including Blueleaf, Frog Grp, Stadir & Steiss Global.
Turnover dropped from £98.7 million in 2020. This was due to 2020 turnover benefitting from PPE contracts for VIP list Blueleaf. We have highlighted previously that though UK contracts finder shows contracts worth £4 million, that DHSC spend, shows the UK govt spending over £31 million with Blueleaf. The company also benefitted from being listed as PPE supplier on a list sent to local councils & care homes by the DHSC at the start of the pandemic. The company reported a loss after tax for 2021 of £641k compared to a profit of £11.6 million the previous year. Since this loss, the company has took on a senior brethren member as a non exec director in Rob Critchley. |
Plymouth Brethren links
Charles Campbell is a trustee of brethren charity Central Hardship & Relief Trust (CHART), The Broomhill Trust a brethren charity which helps maintain the Gillingham & area meeting rooms. He is a former director of Linton projects Ltd. Linton Projects is the trading company that raises fund for the brethren OneSchool at Maidstone, through the Campus & Co shop, it is a subsidiary of the charity Medway Education Trust. Jonathan Andrews son & former Blueleaf director, Scott Andrews, is a trustee of the brethren meeting room charity, Whitmoor Way Gospel Hall Trust. Jonathan is the brother in law of Oliver Whiley, a Lancaster based senior brethren member, who is a director of Havwoods, another company on the rich list. |
Havwoods Global Holdings Ltd
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Family: Whiley & Hales
Assets: £21.3 million Turnover: £53.8 million Employees: 119 |
Directors/Shareholders: Simon Whiley, Dean Hales, Oliver Whiley, Nicholas Whiley
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Summary
The Carnforth based Havwoods saw an increase of £11 million in turnover in 2021. 25% of the total turnover was outside the UK. Profits after tax increased to almost £4.3 million. The directors of the business are the Lancaster based Whiley family. They are what we could class as senior brethren members. The shareholding of Havwoods shows that the business is part owned by Dean Hales, son of cult leader Bruce Hales. This is via Australian company Duroline Products Pty Ltd, which in turn is owned by a Dean Hales company Shavano Consulting Pty Ltd. Though no covid contracts were won directly by Havwoods, the Whiley/Hales connection can also be found in a company called 2San Global, based on the same brethren owner business park in Carnforth. 2San was incorporated in May 2020 in the UK. 2San have won covid testing (RAT) contracts in Australia. They have also recruited at least 13 employees from the UKHSA Government test & trace teams including Mark Hewlett, one of the highest paid members of the test & trace team. We estimate that the salaries of those recruited could well be more than £1 million per year. 2San have also been awarded a PPE contract by Cumbria County Council, a framework agreement with a total of 8 suppliers, of which 4 suppliers are Brethren linked companies. |
Plymouth Brethren links
The Hales & Whiley are senior members of the Plymouth Brethren, the links are therefore substantial. Dean Hales is son of church leader, Bruce Hales Simon Whiley is a trustee of the Whinfield Study Trust, the charity is a fundraiser for the Lancaster OneSchool. It also runs the trading company The Wenning company Ltd, which operates as a Campus & Co shop(s), both Simon & Oliver Whiley are ex directors of The Wenning company. Oliver Whiley is a trustee of the Central GH trust, the national meeting room charity, located at PBCC HQ at Chessington, he is also a director of Silverdale gospel hall trust, the Lancaster meeting room. Nicholas Whiley is a trustee of Cross Hill gospel hall trust, the Carnforth meeting room. One of either the Silverdale or Cross Hill trusts is responsible for the meeting room on the same brethren owned gated business park as Havwoods & 2San. Simon & Oliver were also directors of Strategic DB Group Ltd, formerly known as Unispace Properties Ltd, with Gareth & Charles Hales, 2 more sons of church leader Bruce Hales & big winners of covid contracts. |
Uphall Cambridge Ltd
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Family: Drake
Assets: £20.7 million Turnover: £36.7 million Employees: 83 |
Business: Bed supplier
Location: Cambridge Covid Contracts: Yes Website: |
Directors/Shareholders: Tim Drake, Laurie Drake, Samuel Drake, Anthony Drake, Nicholas Drake
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Summary
The Cambridgeshire based Uphall Cambride Ltd is owned by the Drake family. In the second half of 2022 a parent company Accora Holdings Ltd became the ultimate parent of Uphall Cambridge Ltd. The subsidiaries of Uphall Cambridge are Accora Limited, Accora Inc, Accora Limited Ireland.
The group posted turnover of £36.7 million in 2021, down from £43.5 million in 2020. They won covid contracts with the UK govt, including to supply covid testing facilities, which we believe may have covered both years. This contract was won by VIP channel, after assistance from former MP & now peer Lord Lansley. Prior to the pandemic the company turnover in 2019 was £19.8 million. Clearly substantial growth through the covid contracts. Shareholders funds more than doubled from £9.2 million in 2019 to £20.7 million in 2021. Accora is a clinical seating & specialist bed supplier for home & care environments. Profit pre tax in 2021 was almost £9.5 million, with profit after tax of £9.25 million. The low tax payment was due to Patent box deduction, R&D tax relief and an adjustment to previous tax periods charges. In our research the Patent box & R&D relief was evident in a number of companies. In this case it equated to an almost £1 million tax reduction. In 2021 Tim Drake was appointed a director and a substantial shareholder in another of our rich list, Kingsway Group Global. This followed investment from the Vision Accelerator fund, the brethren investment arm. We will be covering this fund in a separate article in the coming weeks. It would suggest he has some involvement with the Vision fund, he was previously appointed a director of Moroak Management another Vision fund investment. Yeovil based Moroak is also in the list. |
Plymouth Brethren links
Tim Drake is a trustee of the Causeway gospel hall trust. One the Cambridgeshire meeting room trusts. Anthony Drake is a trustee of the Mowbray gospel hall trust. Another of the Cambridgeshire meeting room trusts. Nicholas Drake is a trustee of the Radegund gospel hall trust. Another Cambridgeshire meeting room trust. Samuel Drake is a trustee of Beechwood Education Trust, one of the fundraising charities for the Biggleswade OneSchool. Beechwood premises were used by the Rapid Relief Team during the last year. |
Uphall Cambridge Ltd
In a strange brethren coincidence, we have been reliably informed that the top three on our rich list all have a family link! It starts with the picture below taken in 2021. Rishi Sunak now PM of the UK, visits a brethren company in his constituency, called Sterling GP.
In the picture the older gentleman to Sunak's left hand side is Antony James. Anthony has a sister called Nina, and she is married to Tim Drake of Uphall Cambridge. He also has a brother called Terry, and he married a lady called Victoria Whiley. Victoria is the sister of Simon Whiley and the daughter of Oliver Whiley. We mentioned above that Oliver Whiley is the brother in law of Jonathan Andrews of Global Consortium.
The brethren world is such a small world, often with a Conservative politician to hand!
The brethren world is such a small world, often with a Conservative politician to hand!
4. Elmdene Group
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Family: Douglass
Assets: £30.8 million Turnover: £64.5 million Employees: 208 |
Business: Composite decking manufacture
Location: Coventry Covid Contracts: No Website: millboard.co.uk/ |
Directors/Shareholders: Jerry Douglass, Guy Douglass, Harvey Douglass, James Douglass & Annette Douglass
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Summary
The Coventry based Elmdene Group is owned by the Douglass family. The group subsidiaries are The Millboard company, Fixings Direct Central & Murray Uniforms. Employing over 200 employees, it is arguably the biggest brethren company when removing covid contracts.
The financials for Elmdene Group are exceptional, with turnover at £64.5 million in 2021, rocketing since reporting £43.1 million in 2020 & £36.5 million in 2019. An increase in 2 years of 76%! We highlight this as the growth in profit is even more substantial. Gross profit has gone from £10.2 million 2019 to £25.7 million in 2021 (251%). Net profit after tax from £3.18 million in 2019 to £15.33 million in 2021. A stunning growth of 482%!! In fact we could only find the parent company of Inivos with a bigger after tax profit & they won a £120+ million PPE contract! It is also worth noting that growth is particularly strong in Europe & Rest of the World, now accounting for 30% of Turnover, compared to 18% just 3 years ago. Being non partisan the composite decking does look a great product. It is also interesting that James Douglass (known as Jay), sold a previous business Stonemarket to Marshalls PLC. The family must be millionaires many times over. |
Plymouth Brethren links
Jerry Douglass resigned as a trustee/director of brethren charity OneSchool Global UK in 2022 after serving for 3 years. He is also a former trustee of the Copsewood education trust, the fundraising charity for the OneSchool in Atherstone. James (Jay) Douglass is a former director of Factor4 UK Ltd, which is the trading subsidiary of the Copsewood education trust. Old annual reports of the charities show that the Douglass family provided substantial loans to fund the brethren school in Atherstone. |
5. Arpo Global
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Family: Turner, Mcintyre
Assets: -£1.8 million Turnover: £30.1 million Employees: 70 |
Directors/Shareholders: Stephen Turner, Marcus Turner, Clive Turner, Charles McIntyre, Craig Turner, Dale Turner, George Turner
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Summary
Arpo Global, the Kings Lynn based packaging firm, in an unusual step for a brethren company, have had an significant private equity investment in the summer of 2021. The current directors listed on companies house are therefore all non brethren. Through a somewhat convoluted structure, the company is owned by Southgate Global Holdings Ltd. The shareholders here are the Turner family and Charles McIntyre, along with the PE investors Rutland Partners. Rutland Partners were founded by Michael Langdon, now retired Langdon was a Conservative party donor, paying to be part of the infamous "leader's group" donors, when David Cameron was party leader. The financials of Southgate Global Holdings take a little unravelling. Gross Profit for 2021 was £4.1 million, though pre tax this translated to a £5.1 million loss! Tax was reclaimed to give a total loss after tax of £4.4 million. The assets include all loans & overdraft facilities, showing total assets of (minus)£1.8 million. Closer inspection show that this is based on the acquisition of Arpo Global for £55 million. There is a bank loan of £32 million due within 12 months. The company have also a debenture facility (finance if required) worth £20 million. In summary, a brethren company taking on board private equity is a complete reversal of common practice for the last few decades. It would have led to brethren members being withdrawn from (ex-communicated) in the past. We therefore surmise that this must have had the highest seal of approval. Arpo Global are not the only company to take on PE in the last 2 years. We will visit again further down the rich list. It is worth noting that Southgate Global (Southgate Packaging) were the beneficiaries of a covid contract, winning £217k contract from DHSC to supply aprons. There is however another contract awarded to Southgate Global (previous name of Arpo Global), that has left Open & Candid a little bewildered. The contract awarded by the NHS Supply Chain, in July 2021, (just prior to PE investment) is a non exclusive framework agreement awarded to 13 suppliers (including a total of 4 brethren companies). It is for Disposable Cubicle Shower & Window Curtains. Arpo/Southgate is a packaging company. |
Plymouth Brethren links
The Turner family are a senior brethren family. There are a number of links to other PBCC entities, including UBT.
Stephen Turner was a director of two UBT companies, UBT Rockbridge Ltd & UBT Gateway Ltd, along with other brethren members Derek Hall & Jonathan Lyons. There were other brethren listed as shareholders Darren Meek, Robert Francis & Lionel Burgess. UBT Rockbridge & UBT Gateway were incorporated in November 2021 and the directors resigned in March 2022. Turner along with other brethren members remains a shareholder in both companies. It would appear that these companies were used in the transfer/sale of UBT (EU) Ltd from being a trading company of the charity The Grace Trust, to being a subsidiary of UBT Holdings Ltd. UBT Holdings Ltd was also incorporated on the same day & at the same registered address as UBT Rockbridge & UBT Gateway. Though UBT Holdings Ltd has 2 different brethren members as directors/shareholders Michael Besley & Graham Whitbourn. 
Stephen Turner & Charles McIntyre are both trustees of Downham gospel hall trust. The brethren meeting room charity. Craig Turner is a director of Nexus Team Ltd. This is the trading subsidiary (Campus & Co) of the Medeshamstede Education Trust, a charity that raises funds for a OneSchool. Stephen Turner is a former director of Nexus Team. |
6. Hexdown Ltd
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Family: Gates
Assets: £18.9 million Turnover: £15.6 million Employees: 108 |
Business: Partitions, Screens, Hoardings & Temporary buildings
Location: Stafford Covid Contracts: ? Website: www.westgateuk.co.uk/ |
Directors/Shareholders: Edward Gates, John Gates, Gerrard Gates
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Summary
The Stafford based Hexdown Ltd is owned by the Gates family. It is the parent of Westgate Global, E Gates, J Gates & ME Gates. In terms of turnover Hexdown Ltd is not in the top 10 of brethren companies. In assets though the business is clearly one of the wealthiest brethren companies. Gross profit for 2021 was £7.7 million, after tax profits of £2.6 million. A company that did not claim any R&D or patent box relief. Though did claim gift aid worth £15k.
We can find no details of covid contracts for Westgate Global or any of the other subsidiaries. On the Westgate website however the company states that they supplied their modular UPVC screens, Hoardfast, to the Nightingale hospitals in Manchester, Glasgow & Bangor. |
Plymouth Brethren links
Gerrard Gates is a trustee of the Stafford gospel hall trust, a brethren meeting room charity for the Stafford brethren. John Gates is a trustee of the Copsewood education trust. The charity fundraiser for the OneSchool Global in Atherstone. He is also a director of the Copsewood trading arm Factor 4 UK Ltd, who run the Campus & Co stores in the area. |
7. Carlton Packaging LLP
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Family: Magee
Assets: £18 million Turnover: £60.6 million Employees: 101 (including LLP members) |
Directors/Shareholders: Marcus Magee, Paul Magee, Alan Magee, Martin Magee
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Summary
At number 7, we have another packaging company. This time the high turnover, Carlton Packaging. The Bedford based company is owned by the Magee family. Our first LLP in the list. The LLP members/partners are all limited companies owned by different members of the Magee family.
Gross profit at £13.6 million was down from £14.5 million the year previous, when the company benefitted from government covid contracts. Profit after tax came in at £4.8 million down from £8.2 million the previous year. Turnover however did not reflect the drop in in profits as this was up £8.6 million on 2020. It should also be noted the company moved premises from Milton Keynes to Bedford, with the directors putting at cost of circa £750k on the move. Carlton Packaging won 2 covid contracts, one that was split at the start of the pandemic in April & May 2020, and a larger contract in September 2020, both were for outer packaging for covid test kits. The contracts were awarded without competition. The total value was just over £3 million. We do find it interesting that the 2nd contract would have been signed on behalf of the government by the Chief Commerical officer, Jacqui Rock. She was part of the Test & Trace team executive committee. Along with Mark Hewlett who was the Testing Chief Operating Officer. Mark Hewlett is now the COO of a brethren business 2San Global, owned by Dean Hales & the Whiley family. 
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Plymouth Brethren links
The Magee family are related (cousins), to the Parsons family from Reading. Cyril Parsons founded Unispace and his son Sebastian Parsons was also heavily involved as a director. Sebastian is now a director of Sante Global LLP. A Hales family business. It has been well documented the Unispace/Sante large covid contracts win. Paul Magee is a director of BCF Pension Trustees, the brethren company pension scheme trust owners. Marcus Magee is a director of Bidwell Construction Ltd. The brethren have a number of construction companies that are set up for the building of new meeting rooms. Bidwell is one of these companies. |
8. Moroak Holdings Ltd
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Family: Barter, Browning, Pavey
Assets: £17.8 million Turnover: £23 million Employees: 70 |
Business: Paper & Envelopes
Location: Yeovil Covid Contracts: Yes (Michael Barter) Website: blake-envelopes.com/ |
Directors/Shareholders: Michael Barter, Tim Barter, Blake Barter, Tim Browning, Clive Pavey
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Summary
Moroak Holdings, there is a lot of information to cover for this company and it's senior brethren members! The Holdings company is the parent to a number of subsidiaries: Moroak Management, Moroak Ltd, Made by Blake, Blake Envelopes International, Inkling England, Blake Managed Services, All Colour Envelopes, Blake Europe GmbH, Moroak LLC, Blake Envelopes USA LLC. The Holdings company owns no more than 60% share in any of the subsidiaries. The shares in the Moroak Holdings company itself show the Barter's as the majority owners with Michael Barter owning 55% of the shares. Clive Pavey is just a director and not a shareholder. The subsidiary company Moroak Management Ltd is split ownership between Moroak Holdings (60%) and the Vision Accelerator Pty Ltd (40%). The Brethren fund invested in the business in 2020, at this time Tim Drake from Uphall Cambridge (Accora) was appointed as a director of Moroak Management, he resigned in August 2022. Also appointed at that time were Robert Freeman & Daniel Lyon, both are still directors of the management company. We have been informed that the Vision Global Fund is the investment arm of the Church, Bruce Hales the leader of the church is trying to build an eco-system, where the Vision investment fund makes enough profit/returns each year to fund the Schools & other brethren needs. The set up of the investment fund is very similar to "worldie" private equity, with the fund appointing directors to the companies that they invest in. In the UK we have seen that Tim Drake & Robert Freeman have both been appointed as directors to companies with investment from Vision Accelerator PTY Ltd. The financials for Moroak Holdings show gross profit of £6.2 million, with pre tax profit of £1.07 million and after tax profit of 766k. The company recorded substantial growth in Europe over the last 12 months, with UK numbers similar to 2020. Michael Barter is also a director of other companies not connected to Moroak Holdings. These include Techniclean Holdings, Techniclean Supply T/A Blake & White, Blake & White, TMT Management, YradiantUK, Hydrogen Online, MWB Investments & MWB Assets. Techniclean Supply where Barter is a director alongside the Matley family, were big covid contract winners, awarded a £20 million contract. The accounts filed are for a medium business & therefore do not have to declare turnover & profits. This would suggest that despite winning a £20 million contract that turnover was below £36 million. The contract won in 2020 was with the Northern Ireland Business Services organisation for the supply of facemasks. Interestingly this may have been the very first PPE contract won by a brethren company on the 1st April 2020. Techniclean assets for 2021 show £3.2 million with no substantial change from 2020. Though the company only had assets of £480k prior to the pandemic and their covid contract win, so it would appear the PPE contract was very profitable! Barter holds the majority share (62.5%) in Techniclean. The business is registered at the same registered address as Moroak Holdings. YradiantUK is a dormant company, but records show it is owned by Yradiant Health Sciences Pty Ltd, located at the same Sydney address as UBT & OneSchool Global. The website can be found at Yradiant.com Similar to YradiantUK many of the Barter companies are dormant, with a number of personal companies being unlimited. Unlimited means no accounts have to be published. Timothy Barter, father of Michael Barter also has involvement in a number of other companies including Hewins Timber, who show assets of £1.1 million. He is a director of Kent Dev LLP, which shows assets of £818k. We have been unable to ascertain what area Kent Dev LLP is involved in, it is of note that the directors include many senior brethren members including Oliver Muckle, Nicolas Siferfin, Ben Doouss, Andrew Critchley, David Davis, Richard Blackledge & Clive Anderson. He was also a director of the now defunct Traxx Tyres with many similar senior brethren members, we intend to a separate article on Traxx Tyres in the near future. Finally he was a director with Fytertech Non Wovens with the Ghinn family, Fytertech was sold to an American company back in 2017. |
Plymouth Brethren links
The Barter's & The Browning's are senior brethren members, the links to the PBCC related entities are therefore substantial.
Timothy Barter is a director of the dormant Universal Business Team, a forerunner of UBT (EU) Ltd, alongside fellow directors, Laurence Buckley, Richard Blackledge, Timothy Dallow & Andrew Critchley. He is a trustee of a number of charities including brethren charities the Central Hardship & Relief Trust, and Yeovil brethren meeting room charity, Ivel gospel hall trust. He is an ex trustee of Thistledown Education Trust, a OneSchool fundraising charity. Timothy Barter is also a trustee of The TMT Foundation alongside his fellow Moroak Holding directors Michael Barter & Tim Browning. The TMT Foundation makes no reference to the brethren showing 846k in assets, including receiving a donation of 300k from Moroak in 2020, and is listed as a charity supporting education in the South West. In 2020 it awarded grants of £375k to The Grace Trust, 6k to the Yeovil gospel hall trust, along with 45k via 4 individual grants. In the list of 2019 donations, was 10k granted to Sterling West (we may revisit that at some point!). He is also an ex director of brethren pension fund BCF Pension Trustees Ltd. Michael Barter is a director of the TMT Foundation, which as above provides funds to brethren charities including The Grace Trust. Tim Browning is a director of the Yeovil gospel hall trust & the TMT Foundation. Clive Pavey is a trustee of Thistledown Education Trust, a Oneschool fund raising charity. He is also a director of the trading arm called Vista4 limited, which operates the local Campus & Co retail operation. He is a former director of Placket Construction, the meeting room construction company based at same site as Blake Envelopes in Yeovil. |
9. ATW Holdings Ltd
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Family: Parsons
Assets: £16.9 mil Turnover: £46.7 million Employees: 83 |
Directors/Shareholders: Andrew Parsons, Tristan Parsons, Warren Parsons, Luke Haughton, Evan Lindsell
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Summary
The Reading based ATW Holdings is owned by the Parsons family, with small shareholdings for the Lindsell & Haughton families. It has a number of subsidiaries under its umbrella. These are Sapphire Balconies, Mydek, Innovast, Skize & Woodridge Developments.
The group accounts show massive growth in the last 2 years with turnover increasing from £26.8 million in 2019 to £46.7 million in 2021. It is interesting to see how much patent box reduction and R&D relief the company has claimed over the last 2 years. In total the company over the 2 years has made over £7.2 million and paid less than 3% tax on this amount. The group have made a payment of £160k, to a charity of which an ex director is a trustee, over the last 3 years. This would suggest, that the charity is one where Charles Ker, as the only ex director, is a trustee. Tristan Parsons is also a director of Paragon Design Joinery, also based in Arkwright Road, Reading. In fact maps show that we have ATW Holdings & their subsidiaries, Reading OneSchool Global & Paragon Design Joinery, are all adjacent to each other. Paragon Design shows assets of 694k in their last accounts. Andrew Parsons is the brother of another brethren high flyer in Cyril Parsons, we will cover the wealth of that side of the family in our rich list series. Finally it is always interesting to see if any links to local MP's and we find here in July 2019, Alok Sharma visiting Sapphire Balconies. 
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Plymouth Brethren links
Warren Parsons is a former director of Zest Trading UK Ltd, which is the Campus & Co, trading arm of the charity Ealing Educational Resources Trust, a fundraiser for OneSchool Global. Andrew Parsons is a trustee of brethren meeting room charity, Reading gospel hall trust. He is also a trustee of Redlands Construction Ltd, which is a brethren meeting room construction company. Tristan Parsons was a director of the now dissolved Hines Construction Ltd, which was a brethren meeting room construction company. |