From Loose Cannon to Company Director – an Inspirational Role Model for Young People

In May, we caught up with Tom Wraight, Regional Director for the Midlands for the Carey Group – and now a member of our TCX Appeals Committee.

Tom has come on board with Action4Youth to help drive forward our TCX Appeal. TCX, which stands for The Caldecotte Xperience, is our outdoor adventure centre based in Milton Keynes. We’re in a bid to raise £1.4m to redevelop the centre, to transform it into a fully accessible and sustainable space for all young people regardless of ability or background.

Tom explains “This project and the other work Action4Youth do makes me want to get involved”.

He states that building opportunities for young people from tough backgrounds to succeed is the driving force behind him joining us. “In my role now, I can coach and help the next generation believe in themselves and help them find their skillset. I’m privileged to be in this position only because people encouraged and believed in me”.

“I wasn’t a model child or pupil.”

Tom admits “I wasn’t a model child or pupil”. He describes his younger self as something of a ‘loose cannon’. The perfect poster boy for working your way up.

He hasn’t always held the prestigious position he does today. “I walked out of school at 15 straight onto a building site”, explains Tom who’s been with Careys since 2003 but who started out as an onsite kerb layer / groundworker.

“I worked on jobs up and down the country including two major schemes for GlaxoSmithKline where I was promoted to Project Manager. Following that I was made Contracts Manager for the Milton Keynes Region and today I’m Regional Director for the Midlands”.

“There’s an avenue for everyone out there”.

Alongside his daughter Madison, a trainee quantity surveyor, Tom is also taking part in Action4Youth’s educational Inspiration Programme. “It can be really difficult for youngsters to work out which road they want to take. I want to give them hope, to be that person young people can approach and ask questions of. There’s an avenue for everyone out there.”

With Careys and their foundation that gives back to the community, Tom and his colleagues volunteered by laying wheelchair-friendly footpaths on the Caldecotte site up to the yurt accomodation and they are working with Action4Youth throughout the year and 2024.

Tom knows environments inspire. He sees the plans for the redevelopment of TCX as necessary and inspiring. “It is an amazing vision. The plans will absolutely lift the place. They will open it all up. It will be colourful, light and with an increased capacity it will change so many more young people’s lives”.

He’s urging other businesses and their directors to get behind all the work of Action4Youth, supporting the redevelopment and sharing experiences with young people to inspire, encourage them to have goals and to achieve.

^{Blog Author: Emily Bratt}