06 October 2025

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Putting mind over matter and helping others

25th February 2025

Aron Priest’s experiences in life have encompassed great heights and the deepest depths. He left school without qualifications, took an apprenticeship as a printer and went on to become a self-made millionaire, after selling his pioneering online printing business.

A cycling accident resulted in one of his most difficult challenges, dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.  However, his determination to help others led to one his most rewarding steps, the launch of a charitable fund, The Priest Foundation.

The fund is managed by us and we help Aron achieve his charitable ambitions by giving grants to voluntary and community groups working in Southend-on-Sea and Rochford districts, that provide vital support in their local community and help a wide range of people, including young people aged 16-25 and those who are struggling with their mental health.

Aron has already cycled across the Alps to raise money for his Foundation and has now taken on the challenge of running the London Marathon in 2025.

Aron has joined the growing list of philanthropists who have set up charitable funds with us to give back to the community where they have strong business and family connections.

From an early age Aron, who lives in Rayleigh, showed his entrepreneurial and hard-working nature. He grew up in Hullbridge and attended The Park School in Rayleigh, leaving in 1988.

He said: “I had various jobs while I was at school, including paper boy, milkman and greengrocer. I had a decision to make about my future when I left school, as my grades really were not great.

“I chose to go into printing, as my Grandad was a printer and so was my dad. I had a look through the Yellow Pages listings and ran all the printing companies from ‘A’ onwards. I got to ‘D’ and I managed to get myself an interview with a company called Dellprint.

“I got the job, but the wage was only £50 a week, so I went home and spoke to my dad. I was on £90 a week as a greengrocer at the time, but my dad immediately told me to go with the printing apprenticeship. So, at the age of 16, I started my five-year apprenticeship. When I finished, I was still on £50 a week, so I moved on soon afterwards.

“I had a burning desire to work for myself and in 2000 I opened a company called ACP Print. I met my business partner Andy Smith shortly after that and we joined forces, trading as Solopress.

“We went online in 2005 which propelled us into a new stratosphere. In 2017 we negotiated a deal with a large group called Online Printers. When we sold, we had 350 employees and were turning over £31 million, the timing couldn’t have been better.

“I wanted to give something back to the industry and started leading tours at the great Stationers Hall in London which gives people an insight into the history of print. I have also volunteered in schools to help mentor young people, to let them know that if you are not academic there are other options, such as apprenticeships.”

In 2018 Aron was made a Freeman of the City of London to mark his outstanding 30-year contribution to the printing industry.

Never one to remain static, Aron has now added more strings to his bow by becoming a beekeeper, a property developer and a fledgling DJ, and he is now training hard for the Marathon which he hopes will raise money for his charitable fund.

He said: “My involvement with ECF came about because of my own experiences.  In 2014 I had an accident on my road bike during a race. Afterwards I was diagnosed PTSD, I had no idea what that was.

“I struggled being around lots of people and felt very depressed, something I had never believed in. Fortunately, I had private health insurance to get the support I needed and with the help of my family and exercise, I got myself back on track.

“I realised there are many people out there suffering in silence with their mental health, so in 2019 I decided I wanted to give something back and started The Priest Foundation.  I set up the fund with ECF because they do all the administration, which allows me, my family and friends to concentrate on fundraising. I find visiting some of the charities we have supported very rewarding and it is amazing to see at first hand the difference the grants make. It is good to know that the fund has longevity and will carry on into the future.

“All requests for grants come through ECF and my wife Lee and our children Ella, who is 23 and Macie, aged 18, are all involved in making decisions about which ones to support.

Aron, (front and centre) and friends proudly wearing their Priest Foundation T-shirts.

“I am always thinking of new ways to raise money as the more we have in the foundation, the more people we can help to get on the right road to recovery.”

 

Charities that have already benefited from support include:

  • ATF Southend uses sports, activities, enrichment experiences and events to help children, young people and adults, build trust, gain confidence and access volunteering and employment opportunities. The Priest Foundation gave £827 to ATF for them to deliver sport-based sessions to young people who have been sectioned and are currently on a mental health ward in Rochford and Colchester.
  • Bar’n’Bus received £1,040 to support the cost of delivering community and school-based youth work for young people aged 10-19 in Basildon, Castle Point and Rochford districts.
  • Friends for Lives based in Southend, was set up in 2021 to reach out to individuals from all backgrounds and ethnicities who have experienced very challenging situations. They received £1,000 to support the expansion of their suicide intervention work through the development of a training programme.
  • Rayleigh Baptist Church received £1,039 to support their Hive project. At this community space, they run a wide range of clubs and initiatives for young people, the elderly, parents and children as well as support for those who have been bereaved and those with disabilities.
  • Safe Steps is the lead domestic abuse service provider in Southend reaching 8,000 people each year through emergency accommodation, advocacy, recovery, child and family services, helpline, counselling, community prevention and awareness training. They received £500 towards the salary of a counselling coordinator.
  • South East and Central Essex MIND received £1,000 to provide the technology to develop and provide on-line mental health services during and post the COVID19 crisis.
  • Wellbeing at Garon Park received £2,130 to support their work providing the local community, of all ages and abilities, with facilities to participate in community sport, wellbeing and conservation activities. This includes a nature trail, multipurpose pathways for cycling, running and wheelchair access, an outdoor gym, play area, seating/shelters at around the site for rest and reflection, a sensory garden and a wildlife meadow.

 

To support Aron in running the London Marathon you can give