| Wade Lyn |
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 Wade was born on the Caribbean island of Jamaica. He grew up mainly on King Street in Kingston although his home town was in Clarendon. The offices of the Jamaican Gleaner newspaper are currently on King Street. He and his family moved to the UK in the late 1950s and he went to Marshall Street School in Smethwick. When Malcolm X was in the UK he visited the school but Wade has little recollection of the visit. At school Wade was both a scholar and a keen sportsman. He represented the school at most sports. In the fifth Year (now called Year 11) he became a prefect. While at school he worked part-time in his father’s petrol station. He left school with technical and scientific qualifications but decided to do a Foundation course at an Art and Design School and then went to Birmingham Polytechnic to do Industrial Design. At University he decided to train as a teacher. To help fund this, he and a friend went into business together by investing all their grants into buying DJ equipment and vinyl records. This business financed Wade through University. He also continued with his Sport but had to make a decision whilst he was there that if he couldn’t make the top 50 in the world (he specialised in the 400 metres) he would have to work harder at his studies and quit his beloved athletics. After University in 1986 he left on the Friday and on the following Monday morning he walked straight into a job at a family owned Catering business as the General Manager. This business produced, amongst other things, curried patties. He left in 1989 and with the help of a good ten-year business plan, loans and grants he established Cleone Foods and started to produce beef and vegetable patties under the Island Delight brand. He started selling his patties to local fast-food restaurants and convenience stores. He now sells his patties to all the leading supermarket chains across the UK and is developing the brand further at his factory location in Hockley. Wade is involved in community work across the city, particularly working with young people and students at UCE and Aston encouraging them into enterprise and sharing his business know-how. He is a regional adviser to the Bank of England and involved in Business in the Community. |
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