My Woking
From tennis ace to leisure tycoon, Michael Appleton has led a fascinating and varied career. The Woking Magazine recently met up with the man behind The Big Apple, Woking's family entertainment complex, to discuss why he loves Woking.
Although Michael has been a Woking resident for over twenty-two years, his accent gives away his northern roots. Born in Oldham in 1959, Michael attended Manchester Grammar School where he excelled in sport, and especially tennis. So much so, that after taking his A-levels at 16, he decided to move south, settling in Wimbledon, to compete on the pro-tennis tour.
"Imagine your dream job and being paid to do it! I was privileged to have the opportunity to give the circuit a go", explains Michael.
He competed on the tour for nealy three years and played at the Wimbledon Championships before returning to education, graduating from Cambridge University in 1981.
Soon after, he landed a job with investment bank Schroders, where he worked for seven years in Project Finance, before teaming up with his old tennis pal, David Lloyd, becoming a Director of David Lloyd Leisure. "Working with David was a real pleasure - he's a true entrepreneur and a tremendous enthusiast. I learnt so much about business with David, he was such an inspiration to me", said Michael.
By the mid nineties, Michael was eager to 'go it alone', deciding to leave his friend to set up Invicta Leisure, where he led the operations team and developed a chain of up-market health clubs, now known as Esporta.
Then, the opportunity to set up the Big Apple came up. "I moved into Woking in 1986 when I realised that the town was perfectly placed for travelling to and from London. There is so much countryside around and about too and it seemed like the perfect place to bring up a family. So when, in 1999, an opportunity arose to work with the Council to revitalise `The Planets' complex and develop a new leisure product, I jumped at the chance".
"We decided to divide up the leisure facilities within the complex and tailor them more for the specific audiences within Woking. It was a lot of hard work but created a better mix of facilities and we always had the ongoing support of local people and the Council which made it all worthwhile."
In talking about the changes to the complex, Michael is often asked about the 'plane on a stick' which stands proudly outside the front doors of The Big Apple. "When we first took over the Planets, there were two planes - one outside and one inside which had been installed above the bar. We had a devil of a job trying to remove that one - there were all sorts of health and safety dramas - I think we decided that it was best to leave the one outside in situ after this experience!"
"All in all, I have very fond memories of building the business at the Big Apple, but it's not always been that easy. It's a tough game to be in and it requires a lot of hard work but it's been very worthwhile. The business has given us the opportunity to give back to the local community in so many ways and I've been particularly proud to have been associated with Link Leisure, the local charity for adults and children with learning disabilities. We host the 'Mayhem' nights for Link Leisure in Quake night club and they're always a great success."
Over the last twenty-two years, Michael has seen a huge amount of change in the Borough and is impressed with the Borough's passion to progress and move forward: "I can still remember when the swimming pool was located in the heart of the town centre, before the Peacocks Centre was developed and the new facilities were created in Woking Park. But Woking has never been a Borough to rest on its laurels and has never been afraid to drive change for the good of the local community."
The Borough continues to offer Michael and his family everything that they need: "The train offers quick access to London and the town is within easy reach of the main airports. We enjoy the superb theatre perfomances on a regular basis and the local restaurants give us plenty of opportunities to relax and unwind."
