Private islands, lightning strikes and love stories: Richard Branson on 25 years of luxury hotels

This is more than a tagline – the dedication to the local communities is tangible at each property. At Ulusaba, a private game reserve in South Africa’s Sabi Sand, Branson launched Pride N’ Purpose, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping those in the region. The charity has since built 30 pre-schools, five literacy centres and two disability centres, and 72 per cent of Ulusaba’s staff come from the surrounding areas. At Mahali Mzuri, a Kenyan resort which opened in 2013, 80 per cent of staff are from the local Maasai communities, and a local primary school for 450 pupils was built nearby.

Further north, the Eve Branson Foundation is a small non-profit based in Morocco. The organisation was launched in 2005 by Eve, Richard’s mother, to create opportunities for local people in the High Atlas Mountains, and “to set up schools, craft centres, and woodwork centres,” Richard explains.

“Let me tell you a fun story,” Branson smiles, remembering some of the early work done by The Eve Branson Foundation. He explains that Kasbah Tamadot – a hotel just outside Marrakech, which opened in 2005 – is located amidst the Berber territories and communities. “When we opened, my mum said: ‘We’ve got to teach English, otherwise it’s going to be difficult for them to work here’. And so, one of the first things she did was set up a tent in the grounds and get a Moroccan English teacher.

“One day, some of the local Berber community were sitting in the tent learning English. And this young boy of nine comes in – he lived on the other side of the river – and asks if he can come and join the class. And the teacher said, ‘You really should be at school.’ He said, ‘I’ve left school, it was boring.’ The teacher replied, ‘Well, we don’t have a chair for you.’ So the boy leaves. The next day, he crosses the river with a chair on his head, comes up to the tent and plonks his chair down, and starts to learn English. Move the clock forward, and he eventually became the Guest Services Manager of Kasbah.”