From Prep Portacabins to 100 Marathons: Simon Williamson’s Journey of Resilience and Giving Back 

Simon Williamson, Old Edwardian of both KES Senior and KES Prep, and now a KES parent with three children proudly following in his footsteps - has some unexpected memories of his time at KES Prep, known in his day as Stroud School. While many Old Edwardians might recall favourite teachers or sporting triumphs, Simon remembers the portacabins. Unusual, perhaps—but for him, those temporary classrooms marked the beginning of something significant.  

“I was only there for a year because I was actually at a school in Highfield called Oakmount,” Simon explains. “The school shut down, and around100 kids came over from Oakmount. That’s why the portacabins were at Stroud – because we all came in en-masse and they had to quickly create some extra classrooms.”  

Rishi Sunak was among those fellow transfers from Oakmount, though Simon doesn’t make a big deal of such connections. What mattered more was finding his place in what he calls “very much a family environment.”  

Building Strong Foundations  

These days, Simon’s back at KES regularly – but this time watching from the sidelines as a parent. All three of his children are at the schools, and he admits it’s touching seeing them walk the same paths he once did.  

“It brings back a lot of memories, seeing my kids now at KES,” he says. “I think it’s nice to reflect on my own journey and see them reliving it in their own way.”  

What made KES Prep special for Simon wasn’t just the lessons – it was the friendships. “It was all about the group of friends that we had, that we all went on that journey together. That was so important throughout not only the different classes or subjects that we had, but through sport as well.”  

But Simon didn’t follow the same route as his classmates. While they headed off to university, he made what he calls “a tough decision, but the right decision” – joining the family business instead.  

“It was a challenge to start with, but it was a bit of a soft landing with going into the family business where I had all the support I needed,” he says.  

It worked out well. Simon brought fresh ideas that the family business had been missing. “I was able to bring something different – the family hadn’t had that education and I was able to bring a whole new perspective and skill set to the business going forward, which helped it succeed.”  

When Business Gets Tough  

Simon’s work now involves helping companies when they’re really struggling – the kind of businesses that are facing closure or bankruptcy. It’s not easy work.  

“It’s a tough world we live in now and there are lots of challenges out there,” he says. “Every job’s different, every industry we go into, every size of business, every person is different that we work with.”  

His approach is quite personal. He tries to spot what each person does best. “You can see within that person what they’re naturally good at, and I like to try and say to that person – you’re naturally a salesman or you’re naturally a finance guy – stick to what you know and do that well.”  

Simon calls himself ‘a company doctor’, seeing what the problems are and just trying to fix them really, whether it’s putting a plaster on or whether it’s something more operational.”  

Running for Mum 

But it’s Simon’s running that really shows his character. What started as keeping fit turned into something much bigger when he decided to run 100 marathons for Parkinson’s research. The reason was personal – his mother has Parkinson’s.  

“My mother is a Parkinson’s sufferer, and I was keen to give a bit back there,” Simon says simply. “A marathon a month seemed fitting.” But there’s more to it than fundraising: “My mum was on her own marathon challenge on a daily basis. For her, the day ahead is a challenge, is a marathon. That was the least I could do.”  

Then came ‘SyRun365’ – running with a different person every single day for a year. “How many people came forward and actually wanted to be part of that journey was amazing,” he remembers. “Some standout moments from people that don’t really run who still came on the journey – it was just inspiring.”  

The numbers tell their own story: £50,000 raised for Parkinson’s research and hundreds of people touched along the way.  

Finding new purpose serving his community.  

Simon’s not done yet. He’s now training to be a reserve firefighter. After years of working mostly alone in business, he’s looking forward to being part of a team again.  

“I decided to go on call at the local fire station as a community function, giving something back,” he explains. “I feel that the family of the firefighters will give me that team belonging. In business, it can be quite lonely – I don’t work with too many people.”  

Back Where It Started  

These days, when Simon’s watching school sport, he often bumps into other Old Edwardians doing the same thing. “There’s OEs that I know from my days at KES, and we’re all on the same journey together. So it’s just one big family, really.”  

His advice to current students comes from experience: “Don’t be scared to try different things – it doesn’t have to be right first time. We always learn from those experiences, and there’s no rush.”  

Ask Simon how he measures success, and his answer is straightforward: “Being happy, really. That’s the key to all of it. I think we perform so much better when we’re in the right headspace.”  

From those temporary portacabins to helping businesses rebuild, from 100 marathons to the fire station, Simon shows what it means to keep growing and lift others along the way. Sometimes the best path is the one you make yourself. 

“Being happy, really. That’s the key to all of it.”