Cheers to Cumbrian businessman quietly making a big impact

This week he says cheers to the Cumbrian businessman who's quietly making a big impact.

I'm a lucky fella in many ways.

No, I know that sounds daft considering I've got a terminal diagnosis, but my position as a Deputy to the Lord Lieutenant for Cumbria and a high street retailer gives me access to some really incredible people and if there's one thing I love, it's meeting someone more interesting than me.

Yup, it does happen!

So, can you imagine my delight when a fella who had been visiting the shop for a few years called Scott came in one day and started talking to my long-time shop manager Louise.

Louise has developed a spidey sense when it comes to spotting potentially remarkable people and I always know when she says, "you need to talk to such and such" that I really do.

So, I did a wee bit of digging and found that Taylors Joinery & Plastics is actually a really old business dating back to Scott's grandfather pre-World War Two.

Taylors Joinery and Plastics based in Workington (Image: Google Maps)

Scott's father later took it on and eventually in 1998, Scott slid into the boss's seat.

At that time he had four staff but through effort, and hard work and by building a cracking reputation he has taken that up to a team of 34.

Scott typically puts this down to good luck.

While luck is definitely a part of success in business, being a good businessman - and let's face it Scott is a real good one - is as much about hard work as it is about getting the judgement calls right.

So, Scott Taylor is a cracking businessman and an affable fella who loves a crack about basically anything, but - and this is where it gets interesting- he happened to say something to Louise a few years ago about "a school in The Gambia" and this tickled Louise's spidey sense and I've learned to listen when this happens.

Anyway, as usual, Louise was right because this fella who does high-class joinery in West Cumbria has paid for and helped build a complete school in the Gambia with a capacity of nearly 400 pupils.

Not only that but the region they are in had a history of not educating girls beyond a certain age - so what does Scott do?

He got a guarantee that girls in the area would be taught in the school.

So not only has this chap paid for and helped build a school for nearly 400, he has also successfully arbitrated for girls' rights to an education.

The even more astounding thing about this story is that Scott and his better half kept it quiet because bragging or boasting just isn't their way!

So, I'm sure you are wondering what Scott's dark side is; perhaps he secretly lets the air out of car tyres or maybe, just maybe he is actually Moriarty, but if there's a dark side to this guy, I haven't found it.

So, here’s to a cracking businessman and Louise's extraordinary spidey sense.