Special Forces soldier Toby Gutteridge who was left paralysed after being shot through the neck whilst behind enemy lines in Afghanistan is to transform a business premises in Poole, Dorset.
A Special Forces soldier left paralysed after being shot through the neck whilst behind enemy lines in Afghanistan is to transform a business premises in Poole, Dorset.
In a transaction through property consultancy Vail Williams, Toby Gutteridge’s Bravery brand purchased the freehold of the town centre building.
Comprising 2,640 sq ft and a 1,650 sq ft mezzanine, the property was sold for an undisclosed sum.
Toby, who was part of the Special Boat Service (SBS), is the author of a book named after his childhood motto ‘Never Will I Die’.
He also runs an extreme sports brand, aptly called ‘Bravery’, which produces ethical products including clothing and sunglasses and in future will offer equipment for adrenaline junkies.
The military veteran, who couldn’t breathe for 20 minutes after a bullet from an AK47 shattered his spine when he was 24, defied the medical odds to survive; doctors had recommended his life support machine be turned off following the critical injury in 2009.
Through Vail Williams, Toby unveiled his plans for the detached business premises at 12 Lagland Street, which has pedestrian access to Poole High Street and was sold by Vail Williams on behalf of a private property investor.
PURCHASED: In a transaction through property consultancy Vail Williams, Toby Gutteridge’s Bravery brand purchased the freehold of the 4,290 sq ft town centre building at 12 Lagland Street, Poole, Dorset.
Toby, 37, who lives near Poole, said: “The building is now going to be refurbished and will reopen in a couple of months as a multi-purpose building.
“The main aims for the building are that it can become a great meeting place – it will have a coffee shop with locally sourced products on the ground floor along with a Bravery retail outlet, a tattoo artist and barber’s shop.
“The whole building will have a modern vibe with music playing, sports videos on TV screens and plenty of USB charging points.
“We intend to have large, extreme sports-related art works on the walls along with surfboards and skate decks and a motorbike hanging from the ceiling.
“The ground floor will also be used for community meetings, talks, film nights, etcetera, and the upper mezzanine floor will house the Bravery offices along with co-working spaces for local military veterans.
“We want the space to be used by local people who can enjoy the welcoming atmosphere of the Bravery HQ and align with the Bravery mantra ‘Never Will I Die’.”
Bryony Solan, an associate and chartered surveyor at Vail Williams, which has an office in Bournemouth, acted on behalf of the premises’ former owner.
She said: “Toby has exciting plans for 12 Lagland Street and we wish his retail brand every deserved success.
“The transformation of the building into Bravery’s inspirational UK headquarters will stand as powerful testament to bravery, hope and resilience.”
Ends
Notes to reporters
Vail Williams
Vail Williams LLP is one of the largest independent providers of commercial and residential property advice in the UK.
Holder of the Gold accreditation from Investors in People, the firm provides property advice for landlords, occupiers, investors, developers and landowners in both the public and private sector, across the UK.
A full-service property consultancy, Vail Williams advises on a broad range of property issues – from lease advice, property valuation and planning, to asset management and property acquisition and disposal.
The firm is a specialist provider of business rates advice, having expanded its business rates team with the acquisition of business rate specialists Bisset Moffatt Hill (2016), and the general rating division of Ruddle Merz (2017).
Further acquisitions have included Hughes Ellard (2018), New Ballerino (2018), Trilogie CRE (2019) and Cowling & West (2021).
Vail Williams employs 170 people, of which 50 are partners, based across its 11 offices in the Midlands and south of England (Birmingham, Bournemouth, Brighton, Crawley, Heathrow, Leeds, London, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton and Woking).
Website: https://www.vailwilliams.com/
Twitter: @vailwilliams
