Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE: A life lived to the full

Humble beginnings

Born in April 1948 in London and adopted by a couple who lived in Alfreton, Derbyshire, Margaret was initially destined to become a doctor. That is until she discovered jiving and a boy called Roy. Margaret found herself pregnant at 15 and thrown out of her home by her disappointed parents. She and Roy were married 4 days after her 16th birthday, and Margaret gave birth to their first child, daughter Claire, two months later. Margaret was unable to return to school and, lacking formal qualifications, found a job stacking shelves at the Co-Op in Pinxton. Her first years of marriage, having a baby, and little money meant she faced hardship and judgment. But, as many of us were to learn about Margaret, her character was such that she was never one to be defined by limitations.

The birth of a dream

Margaret, who said she “struggled with her weight” for her whole life, wanted her own business and was inspired to start a slimming club to support others. With determination and a belief that weight loss should be a supportive and empowering journey, she built Slimming World from her kitchen table in 1969. What started as a small local group using positive words, an eating plan, and the power of group support became a national institution, helping millions achieve their goals with dignity and kindness. In 2009, forty years after Margaret founded Slimming World, she was awarded an OBE by Charles, Prince of Wales, for her contributions to public health, a moment she accepted with characteristic humility, referring to the team at Slimming World as being the true recipients of the award. The OBE itself hangs in the Slimming World headquarters in Nottinghamshire.

Mallorcan shores

So, how did this incredibly successful businesswoman, known to us by her married name of Whittaker, become part of the heart and soul of the international community of Mallorca? After working tirelessly through good times and bad at Slimming World, a health scare in the 90s made Margaret address her work/life balance, and, with her second husband Tony, took a break, sailing down to the Mediterranean aboard their yacht. The skilful and experienced sailor Tony was always the skipper, although Margaret navigated and helmed the journey. Whilst initially not very impressed with Mallorca, a chance meeting with another English couple led to a glorious sunset trip on their boat in the beautiful port of Puerto Portals. It was late October, yet lights twinkled from the many shops and restaurants. The evening was balmy, and the locals were friendly. Margaret knew instantly that she had come home.

Yachting

The first business the couple were to open was Mallorca Sea School and Charters. Cenk Efe, who had met Margaret and Tony in 1995 in the UK, became an essential member of the team, along with instructors Mags and John Hart, and between them, they grew the reputation of the RYA-accredited training centre to an impressive worldwide ranking.

Cenk was to become a lifelong close friend and much more than a work colleague to Margaret and Tony. In our interview for this tribute, Cenk described Margaret as “the kindest, strongest, and most intelligent person. When we met, I was just a young guy, and she and Tony were picking up a boat they had worked all their lives to buy. They were impressed by my collecting a beautiful boat but shocked when I told them it was just the tender for a much bigger boat I worked for! We had a great chat, and they didn’t forget me. A couple of years later, when they were in Portals, they saw the tender, recognised the colour coding, knew I must be nearby, and sought me out. That was Margaret—she remembered people, valued them, and made them feel special. Margaret and Tony became like family to me.” As a favour to a friend, they invested in a failing boat-building business in the UK, Pearl Yachts. “ Margaret and Tony didn’t just invest in Pearl Yachts—they transformed it. Margaret had a vision for everything: she thought ten steps ahead about how to make it the best. She insisted on the highest standards; we had to have the best boat designer and interior designer. She never settled for ‘good enough.’ The Pearl Yacht brand has won several awards over the years due to their leadership and vision. It has been the honour of my life to be a part of this.”

Mood Beach

In 2006, Margaret and Tony launched Mood Beach Club, creating a restaurant and a social hub for the international community. This is where I met Margaret and worked for her for almost a decade. Margaret and I first encountered each other during a wildly successful “Red Nose Day” event I had been part of as a presenter for the now-defunct Luna Radio. We discovered I could fit the bill for the role of PR and Marketing officer at Mood. Over the years that followed, we certainly had a lot of fun creating parties, raising money for charity, and hosting huge events such as the annual birthday party for Queen Elizabeth II, Mood’s anniversary parties, Christmas, New Year, and even the Crew Show with a footfall of more than 1500 people in a day, and so many other innovative schemes. Whenever she came up with a new menu idea or event concept, Margaret would get so excited and fidgety that she was desperate to get it going as soon as possible to see her idea come to life! Margaret and I stayed in touch after I left Mood in 2016, swapping messages from time to time, mainly of some salty joke that she had found amusing! I look back on those years now and realise how lucky I was to have the creative freedom she gave me, and I remember with great fondness how kind she was to my family and my daughter. I also remember being part of a secret Slimming World club for a while, which was run from Margaret’s living room! Sssh, don’t tell anyone!

Paul Abrey, former British Consul for Mallorca from 2005 to 2012, remembers Margaret as someone who “saw the best in people.” Paul was introduced to Margaret by a mutual friend, Kate Mentink, who also has many fond memories of Margaret, saying she had “A life lived to the full.” Paul recalls the first time he spoke to Margaret in 2006 when he contacted her about attending a Queen’s birthday celebration. “I knew that she was a very successful businesswoman from the UK, and I was expecting to be greeted by assistants and layers of administration, but she answered the phone herself, laughed, and told me how honoured she was to be invited. That was Margaret—no airs and graces, just warmth and enthusiasm. She loved Mallorca with all her heart, and despite all the challenges of running businesses here, she never stopped advocating for it.” Paul also remembers a special moment when he was asked to present Margaret with a lapel pin, signifying the award of an OBE. The news that Margaret had been included in the Birthday Honours was not widely publicised but fell on the same day as that year’s celebratory party for the Queen’s birthday at Mood. Paul’s presentation surprised her: “She was deeply embarrassed about being the centre of attention, but she handled it with her usual grace and turned the moment into a celebration of others, praising the Mood staff. That was her way.” When Paul and his family moved to Canada, Margaret threw a party for them. “She presented me with a book of pictures and said, ‘Why are you going?’ She made the whole thing feel so special. Even though it was a farewell, it was full of warmth, laughter, and celebration—just like Margaret always was.” Paul, who returned to the island in 2016 to run Palma Pictures, was another person who became a confidante of Margaret, visiting her frequently over the last weeks of her life.

Son Amar

Mood closed in 2019, leaving Margaret to focus entirely on Son Amar. She took on the ambitious challenge of revitalising the building and the show, transforming it into one of Europe’s premier entertainment venues. Martyn Smith, who joined Son Amar in 2020 as the Creative Director, recalls her fearless business acumen and ambition. “She went for world-class, not Mallorca-class. She didn’t play it safe. Many people on the island hesitate to take risks, but Margaret constantly invested, and always pushed boundaries. She was relentless in making things better.” Martyn recalls a business trip to Las Vegas, where she joined in everything despite some physical struggles. “We walked 28,000 steps one day. We were booked to go to a shooting range at the end of it. I hadn’t expected her to come with us, but she did! She fired huge machine guns, rifles, the lot. And she did it all with a huge smile.” Whenever Margaret was on the island, she would go to Son Amar to see the show. “The performers loved to have her in the audience; she was so open and appreciative of them. Our routine would be that I would collect her from her car and walk her to the theatre, but sometimes this would take half an hour as she would stop and talk to clients and staff alike. She cared about people. You could see this incredible positivity was always inside her.”

Margaret’s final days

Margaret’s son Dominic Miles, who lives on the island with his family, recalls his mother’s elegance and grace, even in the face of leukaemia, which was to take her life eventually. “She just dealt with everything in this super cool way. She was incredibly courageous to the last second. She always looked so beautiful and smiling whenever she could. When we knew she was in the last days of her life, she decided she wanted to party, so we smuggled a suitcase full of champagne and glasses into her hospital suite! At times, so many people were in the room that I felt I had to be security on the door to stop more people from getting in. The staff at Juaneda were amazingly kind and accommodating to us, and I can’t thank them enough. We had a lot of fun, just like we had always had. If she could have got up to dance, she would have!”

The legacy

Those who knew Margaret knew she expected excellence—but they also knew that excellence never went unnoticed. She had a way of bringing out the best in people, encouraging them to trust their instincts and take risks, just as she always had. Margaret’s impact extended beyond the businesses she built; she mentored many, offering wisdom, support, and often a healthy dose of humour to those navigating challenges. Margaret’s legacy continues in the hundreds of thousands of lives she touched via her work at Slimming World and her life here in Mallorca. Jason Moore, the editor of the Mallorca Bulletin and another long-term associate of Margaret, said, “Mallorca has lost a true friend and one that will always be remembered. She was a great lady, and Mallorca is a richer place thanks to her presence.”

Margaret is survived by her children Claire, Dominic, and Benjamin, her adopted son Danny, her stepchildren Dawn and Gary, and many grandchildren. Her funeral will be held in the UK and live-streamed at Son Amar for anyone who wishes to pay their respects.