Teen 14 leaves Bolton school to start new business

A 14-year-old has started his own design business, just months after being de-registered from secondary school.

Marley Walsh Dolphin, from Horwich, was a student at Rivington and Blackrod High, but was de-registered over the Easter period.

His dad, Jonny Walsh, said he did it as he disagreed with the curriculum and educational system, much preferring Marley to get started early in a vocational career.

Jonny said: “I thought he was being failed by his education and he had already been working for me over lockdown so we just decided to carry on like that. I wasn’t happy with how things were for him and I could see him getting more and more down with the situation so I wanted to take him out of it.

“I wanted him to be happy and now he’s working for me and earning himself a wage. By the time others who have left school and sixth form will have caught up to him, he’ll have got himself a nice little pot of money and will be ahead of others at his age.”

The father and son pair previously starred in Channel 4's Class of Mum and Dad, where parents experienced what life was like for their children in Year 6.

Marley first worked for his dad’s business, Nailed It - a manufacturer and designer of concrete and timber furniture. After learning his trade there, Marley decided to expand his portfolio and set up his own creative design business.

Lethal Features creates unique street and graffiti-style art, along with feature walls and upcycled furniture.

The business has seen Marley and Jonny work on a range of jobs, including improving offices and creating a concrete wall on a house in Sheffield.

Marley said: “I didn’t really like school so I am happy to have left and started my new business. I have been doing it a lot with my dad so it is good to be doing this.”

He will be taking courses to help bolster his maths and English skills on the side.

Jonny added: “Nearly everyone who I have spoken to has agreed that this is best for Marley, whether that’s family, friends or just people I’ve spoken to about it. They have all said that it is the right choice and have supported it. I'm a single dad so I have been bringing him up on my own. We work together, we live together and we are best pals.”

For more information on Marley’s business, visit facebook.com/lethalfeatures

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