A former journalist from Wallasey is set to open a glamping site next year after a career change sparked the idea. Kelly Williams, a mum-of-three, met her husband, Welsh farmer and mechanic Dyfan Owen, in a Rhyl nightclub eight years ago. The couple's venture, Glampio Plas Panton, is a luxury glamping retreat on the farm in Llannefydd on the Conwy/Denbighshire border in North Wales, set to welcome guests after three years of planning.
From newsroom to farm life
Kelly, an award-winning reporter and former head of news, left her 20-year career after taking voluntary redundancy. Moving to the farm while juggling working from home and a busy family life was a "shock to the system at first," she told the ECHO.
Kelly said: "As the relationship evolved, I ended up moving to the farm - literally packing up all my belongings in a livestock trailer when I discovered I was pregnant. All of a sudden, life got really busy, with Dyfan running the farm and garage and me working full time from home while juggling a busy family life."
"Having no farming background whatsoever, I seemed to become a farm hand overnight with ongoing on-the-job training in cattle herding and sheep sorting. That was when I decided it was time for a career change and looked into what we could do, hence the glamping idea was born."
Pods with sea views and wellness
The glamping pods will include an en suite bathroom, sauna and hot tub with underfloor heating and sea views overlooking the Clwydian Range. Kelly and Dyfan also hope to offer other facilities and services that tie in with the farm and nature surrounding it, including alpacas and wellness retreats.
Kelly said: "I think the farm experience is quite good, people who are in this glamping site are in the middle of our farm, so they are going to see tractors coming past, sheep being moved, cows being moved, so, we want people to know that's what they're letting themselves in for. That they are going to see and hear farm sounds, that's what people really like, because people who live in the cities don't really get to experience that properly."
Excitement after three-year planning
Kelly described her excitement at seeing the project come to life after a lengthy planning process. "I'm just really excited about seeing it come to life, because we've been in the planning process for the best part of three years. To eventually see the pods being delivered, and now that they're actually sitting here, I can't believe we've got to this point," she said.
"It felt like it was never going to happen. And I think when people start to come here that will be a real buzz for me because I'll be like, 'We did that'."
