Tributes have been paid to Gold Medal founder and ‘remarkable entrepreneur and philanthropist’ Ken Townsley, who passed away on Saturday.
In his lifetime, he pledged more than £100 million to children and young adults through his foundation, The Kentown Wizard Foundation.
Ken, who was born in 1945, started his career in the early 1960s as a passenger handling apprentice at Blackpool Airport.
He went on to work for British Eagle Airways before being made redundant in 1968. He used the redundancy money to set up Trident Travel, which was later renamed Gold Medal Travel.
The company grew, and in 2009 he sold it to Thomas Cook for more than £80m.
Gold Medal Travel Group, which was acquired by dnata in 2014, paid tribute to its founder, remembering him as ‘a man of deep humility who led not through grand gestures, but through a quiet, unwavering kindness that defined the workplace. Whilst not a man for the spotlight, he was known for his vast heart and caring for his team with a sincerity that went far beyond professional duty, treating everyone with kindness and respect’.
Managing Director Simon Applebaum said: “While I never had the privilege of knowing Ken personally, his legacy is woven into every part of Gold Medal. The company he built, the pioneering spirit he championed, and the values of kindness and respect he embedded into our culture continue to guide us today.
“We are deeply grateful for the foundations he laid which have allowed Gold Medal to thrive and grow into the business it is today. Our thoughts are with Ken’s family and all of our colleagues, past and present, who were fortunate enough to know him.”
In 2015, Ken established The Kentown Wizard Foundation to support children and young adults with life-threatening conditions and serious disabilities. He donated or pledged more than £100m to the foundation.
When asked why he decided to gift the money, Ken said: “I didn’t want to just leave this money in my will to benefit various charities at some point in the future. I wanted to see it being used to help those in need now, today and tomorrow and to know that my success has been put to the best possible use.”
The Kentown Wizard Foundation said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our Founder, Kenneth Townsley, who passed away peacefully on the 24th of January 2026. A remarkable entrepreneur, philanthropist and visionary, whose life and work have had a profound and lasting impact on the lives of thousands of children and young people.
“Ken was a self-made man, but he was also a man of great humility, compassion and purpose. He believed strongly in using his success to benefit others and was content to work quietly in doing so.
“His legacy will live on through the countless lives changed as a result of his extraordinary generosity.”
If Only Sales Director and Elegant Resorts Agency Sales Director Tracy Docherty said: “He was ahead of his time in the travel industry and built an amazing business that continues to thrive.
“I will forever remember meeting him before I started at Gold Medal, I worked for BA and we had lost his bag. I had to meet him in the lounge and tell him when we would be returning it to him. He was dressed in cords and a woolly jumper, not what you would expect from the chairman of a hugely successful company, but that’s what was so unique about him.”
