Bank of Dave founder: ‘I'm giving away 90pc of my £20m fortune'

Telegraph

27-07-2025

If going from leaving school with no qualifications to running the biggest minibus supplier in the UK wasn't enough, Dave Fishwick topped it all when he opened Burnley Savings and Loans.
'Bank of Dave', as it became known, captured the public imagination. It spawned a bestselling book, a Channel 4 documentary, a Bafta and two hit films starring Rory Kinnear as the entrepreneur.
Father of two, Dave, 54, has never moved away from his Burnley roots, living just outside the town with his wife, Nicky.
Where is home for you?
Valley Paddocks, which was a big farm back in the day, sits on 100 acres of land. The guy who bought it before him owned an American airline and travel company and was into racehorses, so we have a big equestrian facility.
I reckon we have thousands of trees, and there's a river running through them. The Cubs use the land for their outdoor activities, which is great, because the countryside should be for everyone, and anyone can walk through our forest.
I'll never sell up. The property will remain in the family. When I die, I'll be buried here and the place will be left to the grandchildren.
What drew you to your home?
Many years ago, my brother, Andrew, mentioned this property he'd been working on. He said that if it ever came up for sale, I should buy it. So I did, and that's now 21 years ago.
The doors, carvings, window frames, the floors and the staircase are all oak, handmade and fitted by Andrew. It would take half a day to walk around the house.
I don't even know how many bedrooms we've got. All I know is when people come to stay, we don't run out of them.
Have you made many changes to the house over the years?
My brother's handiwork is the main feature of the place, along with the stone walls, but most of the decorating came off the back of the Bank of Dave films, which were filmed here.
They took tons of our furniture away and replaced it with their own. They took down all our photos and put up loads of oil paintings.
We never had any before then, as I didn't know anything about art. I bought them from the film company because the place would have looked so bare without them.
We also have a few pianos dotted around the place, which were left by the guy I bought the house from.
Do you play the piano?
No, I've never even seen one up close before. I don't think a grand piano would have done us a lot of favours in the two-up, two-down of my youth.
An inside toilet would have been nice, though.
Do you own any other properties?
No. One is enough. I work all over the world, but more than anything, I just love coming home. When they were filming here, the upstairs was out of bounds to the 127 members of the film crew.
Instead, they emptied the aircraft hangar I built outside for my helicopters and cars, and used that as a set.
Where were you brought up?
I grew up in John Street, Nelson. I never knew there was such a thing as an inside toilet until I was 12 years old, and we used to bathe in a big old metal tub in front of the fire.
There were four of us kids, and I was the last in, so the water was cool, and sometimes I came out dirtier than I went in. That was our Sunday treat.
What did your parents do for a living?
My dad, Tony, worked incredibly hard. He was a farm labourer from 5am to 1pm. He'd then walk down to the local mill to start his second job as an overlooker from 2pm until 10pm. He did this seven days a week. My mum, Christine, was a weaver.
How do you relax?
I have six businesses, the largest being an investment company in America, so I need to stay in contact with operations from here, which often means working all hours.
Flying is my main escape, as I can't read and be distracted by my iPad when I'm up there. I love it. When I'm really fed up, I take the jet helicopter out and look for a cloud to sit on.
My helicopter was originally bought by the Duke of Westminster, who sold it to the guy who owns 118 118 Money. I bought it from him, but I can't say how much I paid for it.
Do you have a pension?
No, I have no plans to retire.
Would you ever sell Bank of Dave?
We've been offered a colossal amount of money for it, but it's not for sale at any price. I met a hedge fund manager recently who asked me this, and I said I'd not sell in 150 years.
He said I'd be dead before then, and I said I hoped not, but if I were, my children's children or their kids would look after the company to ensure it's doing the right thing.
Will you pass on your wealth to your children?
More than 90pc of what I'm worth will go back to society, the rest goes to my children and grandchildren.
I've seen all sorts of figures about my wealth, from £10m to a £1bn. Let's just say the house is approaching £10m, and I'm worth more than £20m, but less than £100m.
What is your biggest extravagance?
I like very simple things. Nicky and I have a little Jack Russell puppy, Charlie, whom we enjoy walking on the beach. I'd say my biggest extravagance is time.
If I can save time by using the helicopter, I have more of it to spend doing the things I love.
And you found time to write your book?
Yes, I give the money I get from it to good causes. I'm even thinking of writing a follow-up, but we'll see. Watch this space, as they say.