Peter Vardy (businessman)
Encyclopedia
Sir Peter Vardy is a British businessman and philanthropist from Houghton-le-Spring
in Durham
. His business interests have been mainly in the automotive retail business. In the Sunday Times Rich List 2009
ranking of the wealthiest people in the UK he was placed 388th with an estimated fortune of £140million.
He attended the Chorister School
in Durham (1956–1961) and Durham School
.
in 1976, after the death of the founder Reg Vardy, his father. In the late 1970s he was successful in acquiring franchises to sell various brands in the UK. From 1982 he expanded into the volume car market, first with British manufacturers and subsequently with European and Japanese marques. In January 2006 the dealership was sold to Pendragon
, the largest UK car dealership chain, for £506m. Vardy stepped down as Chief Executive the following month.
Vardy was awarded the inaugural Industry Personality of the Year Award in a round of Automotive Management Awards and received a knight
hood for services to education in the Queen
's Birthday Honours list of 2001.
In May 2006, The Vardy Group of Companies was launched in Durham, comprising: Vardy Venture Capital, established by Sir Peter Vardy; Vardy Property Group, launched by his elder son Richard; and Peter Vardy Ltd, launched by Peter Vardy (grandson of Reg Vardy) who had previously been General Manager of Rossleigh Jaguar Edinburgh.
He has been at the forefront of business involvement in education, and funded the building of a City Technology College
in Gateshead and three Academies, in Middlesbrough, Thorne and Blyth. These four schools form the Emmanuel Schools Foundation
, a coalition of schools with a Christian ethos based in the north of England
. The schools have received Ofsted
ratings from "good" to "outstanding". In October 2010, Vardy transferred sponsorship of the schools to the United Learning Trust
, another sponsor of academies but one with a mixed record of success to date, as noted in The Guardian
article of 5th November 2009 entitled "ULT ordered to halt expansion" .
Vardy has stated that widespread reports that he is a creationist are incorrect, and that he has a very traditional view about how science should be taught. In an interview with the BBC
Today programme
, Vardy said: "I believe that God created the earth and created man in his own image; quite how long it took him I don't know". However Nigel McQuoid, former director of schools at the Emmanuel Schools Foundation and former Principal of Emmanuel College and The King's Academy, publicly took a recognisably creationist stance, claiming that creation was a theory and evolution a "position of faith". In January 2011, Vardy won a claim in the British High Court against Tribune
over claims it had made about the Emmanuel Schools teaching creationism.
Houghton-le-Spring
Houghton-le-Spring is part of the City of Sunderland in the county of Tyne and Wear, North East England that has its recorded origins in Norman times. It is situated almost equidistant between the cathedral city of Durham 7 miles to the south-west and the centre of the City of Sunderland about 6...
in Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
. His business interests have been mainly in the automotive retail business. In the Sunday Times Rich List 2009
Sunday Times Rich List 2009
The Sunday Times Rich List 2009 was published on 26 April 2009.Since 1989 the UK national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times has published an annual magazine supplement to the newspaper called the Sunday Times Rich List...
ranking of the wealthiest people in the UK he was placed 388th with an estimated fortune of £140million.
He attended the Chorister School
Chorister School
The Chorister School is a co-educational independent school for the 2 to 13 age range. It consists of a nursery , a pre-preparatory and preparatory day and boarding school in Durham, England...
in Durham (1956–1961) and Durham School
Durham School
Durham School, headmaster Martin George , is an independent British day and boarding school for boys and girls in Durham....
.
Business interests
Vardy took control of the car dealership Reg Vardy plcReg Vardy
Evans Halshaw is a chain of car dealerships with around 180 showrooms, predominantly in Northern England. It is a subsidiary of Pendragon PLC.-Pendragon PLC:...
in 1976, after the death of the founder Reg Vardy, his father. In the late 1970s he was successful in acquiring franchises to sell various brands in the UK. From 1982 he expanded into the volume car market, first with British manufacturers and subsequently with European and Japanese marques. In January 2006 the dealership was sold to Pendragon
Pendragon PLC
Pendragon PLC is a multi-national operator of franchised motorcar dealerships in the United Kingdom with international outlets in the United States. This member of the Pendragon Group focuses on a variety of luxury cars marketed under the Stratstone name which include Porsche, Ferrari, and BMW....
, the largest UK car dealership chain, for £506m. Vardy stepped down as Chief Executive the following month.
Vardy was awarded the inaugural Industry Personality of the Year Award in a round of Automotive Management Awards and received a knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
hood for services to education in the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
's Birthday Honours list of 2001.
In May 2006, The Vardy Group of Companies was launched in Durham, comprising: Vardy Venture Capital, established by Sir Peter Vardy; Vardy Property Group, launched by his elder son Richard; and Peter Vardy Ltd, launched by Peter Vardy (grandson of Reg Vardy) who had previously been General Manager of Rossleigh Jaguar Edinburgh.
Commitment to education and philanthropy
As a devout Christian, he has a long commitment to philanthropy, through the Vardy Foundation, supporting a very wide range of community causes.He has been at the forefront of business involvement in education, and funded the building of a City Technology College
City Technology College
In England, a City Technology College is a state-funded all-ability secondary school that charges no fees but is independent of local authority control, being overseen directly by the Department for Education....
in Gateshead and three Academies, in Middlesbrough, Thorne and Blyth. These four schools form the Emmanuel Schools Foundation
Emmanuel Schools Foundation
The Emmanuel Schools Foundation is a charitable trust which has been involved in education since 1989.ESF sponsored four schools: Emmanuel City Technology College in Gateshead , The King's Academy in Middlesbrough , Trinity Academy in Thorne, Doncaster and Bede Academy in Blyth, Northumberland...
, a coalition of schools with a Christian ethos based in the north of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The schools have received Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
ratings from "good" to "outstanding". In October 2010, Vardy transferred sponsorship of the schools to the United Learning Trust
United Learning Trust
The United Learning Trust is an education charity and the largest single sponsor of academies in the UK with 20 academies and one City Technology College currently open. ULT's objective is to bring out "the best in everyone", driving educational improvement across its family of academies and...
, another sponsor of academies but one with a mixed record of success to date, as noted in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
article of 5th November 2009 entitled "ULT ordered to halt expansion" .
Vardy has stated that widespread reports that he is a creationist are incorrect, and that he has a very traditional view about how science should be taught. In an interview with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Today programme
Today programme
Today is BBC Radio 4's long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, now broadcast from 6.00 am to 9.00 am Monday to Friday, and 7.00 am to 9.00 am on Saturdays. It is also the most popular programme on Radio 4 and one of the BBC's most popular programmes across its radio networks...
, Vardy said: "I believe that God created the earth and created man in his own image; quite how long it took him I don't know". However Nigel McQuoid, former director of schools at the Emmanuel Schools Foundation and former Principal of Emmanuel College and The King's Academy, publicly took a recognisably creationist stance, claiming that creation was a theory and evolution a "position of faith". In January 2011, Vardy won a claim in the British High Court against Tribune
Tribune (magazine)
Tribune is a democratic socialist weekly, founded in 1937 published in London. It is independent but supports the Labour Party from the left...
over claims it had made about the Emmanuel Schools teaching creationism.