Discovering Dolgellau's Divas
discovering Dolgellau's divas
In Southern Snowdonia
What do a former Marketing Director, a former IT Manager and former PR Consultant all have in common? They are all urban escapees and now very successful female entrepreneurs in the most unlikely of places – the small market town of Dolgellau, in Southern Snowdonia. All three were shortlisted in this year's National Tourism Awards for Wales, therefore, it is not so unlikely that they should all sit all on the board of the tourism group, Discover Dolgellau, and are also the driving force behind the region's newest food festival, Taste/Blas Dolgellau, being held 15th - 17th October.
Six years ago, Debra Harris left her high-flying career in the city, followed by three years of working in Bosnia providing business consulting through an EU development agency, to return to her Welsh roots. She now owns and runs the 5-star accommodation, Ffynnon, with her husband, Steve, and son, Isaac. Since opening in 2007, the boutique hotel has been rated The Top B&B in Wales by Tripadvisor and is a finalist in this year's National Tourism Awards for Wales for the category, “Best Places to Stay, Under 10 rooms”.
Jacky O'Hanlon, a former IT Manager for Compaq Computers in Glasgow, originally left the big city to spend two years in the French Alps running a ski chalet. Following in her husband, Graham's, footsteps she developed a passion for snowbiking, a sport giving mountain bikes a life year round with extra wide wheels and studded tyres. In 2005, she and Graham, moved to Dolgellau, setting up their B&B, Coed Cae, and mountain bike guiding service, very aptly named, Snowbikers, considering its location in the heart of Snowdonia, near the well reknowned mountain bike centre Coed y Brenin. Coed Cae is in the finals for “Most Sustainable Business” at the National Tourism Awards for Wales.
Sarah Heyworth used to run her own PR company in Brighton and is no stranger to entrepreneurial challenges. But it was a three month trip around Europe in a camper van with her partner, John, that inspired them toward a new dream – to run their own campsite. They left their jobs, sold their home in Brighton and travelled throughout the UK living in their camper van with their two dogs, putting notes through prospective campsite owners’ doors. The opportunity finally arrived, a whole 18 months later in 2008, when Graig Wen, at the edge of the haunting Mawddach estuary near Dolgellau, became available. Graig Wen was recently shortlisted for the “Best New Business” at the National Tourism Awards for Wales.
What is now most apparent is that these women are no underachievers. Debra is the chair of Discover Dolgellau, and since its inception in 2007 has been integral to uplifting the profile of the town by undertaking visitor research, organizing press visits and developing town maps and the DiscoverDolgellau.com website. And serving breakfast to sleepy wanna-be bikers is not the only thing on Jacky's plate. She has also become a local historian, writing two guides, one about the Mawddach Trail, recently featured in the BBC's "Railway Walks" series and a second guide about the Mawddach Way circular walk around the scenic Mawddach Estuary. In just two years, Sarah and John have further developed their campsite into an entire 4-star community with B&B, self-catering cottages and beautifully appointed yurts which can be spotted in the new “Visit Wales” advertising campaign.
All three women have also put their heart and soul into developing a unique new food festival for their region, Taste/Blas Dolgellau, 15th - 17th October. Together with a supporting team, they have handled all the funding, printing, marketing and PR for the entire event. The event differs from most food festivals in that, apart from the Farmers Market and Trade Fair being held in the town square on Sunday, many other events throughout the weekend will be held on the premises of a variety of businesses in the local area. Ffynnon will open its doors to host a Welsh Cheese and Beer Tasting, Coed Cae is offering a Mawddach Taster Weekend including packed lunch and guide book, and Graig Wen will be holding its popular Wild Food Forage with a complete meal being cooked over an open fire and served in one of the yurts.