From Bensham to Banús
“Life isn’t measured by the places we visit, but by the people we meet along the way.”
Born and brought up in the working-class streets of Bensham, Gateshead, Gary Lewis never imagined where life would lead him.
From furniture auctions and transport to diners and property, care homes and eventually a new life in Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain’s Costa del Sol, this memoir follows an often-unexpected journey shaped as much by the remarkable people he met as the opportunities he seized.
Along the way he encountered unforgettable characters, took risks, survived setbacks, enjoyed unexpected successes and collected stories that are by turns moving, inspiring and laugh-out-loud funny.
More than anything, this is a story about people. Some became lifelong friends, others simply crossed Gary’s path for a brief moment, but all of them helped shape the extraordinary journey that followed.
Told with warmth, honesty and humour, From Bensham to Banús is a memoir about family, friendship, resilience and making the most of whatever life puts in your path.
About The Author
Gary Lewis was born and raised in Gateshead and has spent much of his working life building businesses, particularly in health and social care. Along the way he has also been involved in property development, radio broadcasting, inventing and writing.
Although his work took him in many different directions, it is the people he met, the friendships he made and the lives he touched that have remained his greatest inspiration.
Now living between southern Europe and the UK, he continues to enjoy new projects while reflecting on an extraordinary life that began in the streets of Bensham.
From Bensham to Banús is his first memoir.
Gary Lewis
Property developer, Broadcaster, Inventor and writer
From Bensham to Banús
MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY
From the working-class streets of Bensham, Gateshead, to a new life on Spain’s Costa del Sol, this warm and often laugh-out-loud memoir follows Gary Lewis through furniture auctions, transport, diners, property and care homes — and the unforgettable people who shaped the way along the way.
Gary Owen Lewis: A Family History
GENEALOGY
A meticulously researched genealogical record tracing Gary Lewis’s ancestry across more than two centuries — from the coal mines and railway works of County Durham to the family that led to him. A quiet, detailed tribute to the generations who came before.