One-time brickie’s apprentice, entrepreneur Trevor Hemmings increased his wealth to £1.03 billion in 2008 – moving him up to fourth place in this year’s City & Guilds Vocational Rich List.
After his apprenticeship, Trevor built up his own house building firm, which he sold in the early 1970s for £1.5 million – just before the collapse of the property market – to the late Sir Fred Pontin. He became Sir Fred’s right hand man and when Pontin’s was taken over, assembled a management buyout in 1987.
Within two years he’d sold the business to Scottish & Newcastle for a share stake and since then has built a substantial property to leisure empire with the emphasis mostly on Blackpool. Trevor’s reputation as the gaffer of the Blackpool area was cemented this year with the completion of the £3m revamp of Blackpool in February 2008.
