Meet The Locals!

Lyn Crossman

of Easy Jive

How long have you run the  business?
I’ve been teaching jive for 20 years
Tell us something you love  about the area in which we live.
Small towns and villages are so much more relaxed and friendly than cities so the lessons and dances are always lots of fun.
Tell us something about yourself
I used to be a scuba diving instructor. I also once danced with Franky Manning (he was one of the first people who ‘invented’ jive at the end of the 1920s – without him jive/rock’n’roll dancing would not exist).
Tell us something we don’t know
Considering we are out in the sticks, there is a big dancing scene round here with rock’n’roll/swing dances happening every weekend

Debbie Saunders

of Wits End Weight Ltd

How long have you run the business?
I have been involved in the weightloss industry for 6 years with the last year owning the Ideal Weight franchise.

Tell us something you love  about the area in which we live.
I live just below the Skirrid mountain.  Everyone who visits mentions the incredible feeling of peace and tranquility

Tell us something about yourself
My passion in life is the Blues and I’d love to visit New Orleans.

Tell us something we don’t know
The combination of what we do is unique.  There are hundreds of diets out there but nobody else does specialist coaching but that’s the bit I love.  I also use my experience of Hypnosis and NLP.   My passion is to help people achieve their potential, feel confident and happy.

Emma
Corfield-Walters

of Bookish

How long have you run the  business?
We celebrate our 4th Birthday on October 4th.

Tell us something you love  about the area in which we live.

I love the uniqueness of the High Street in Crickhowell, you can pretty much buy everything you need and the vast majority of shops are independent and family run. The community is very supportive and our regular customers have become firm friends. There are very few High Streets like this left.

Tell us something about yourself.
I have started to learn to play the samba drums, I just wish I had more time!

Tell us something we don’t know
You won’t find a Book-ish on every High Street, just this one… that’s pretty unique!

Hannah & Pete Hill

of Focus Magazines

How long have you run the  business?
3 years

Tell us something you love  about the area in which we live.
We’re not native to this area – Hannah being from London and Pete from Northampton. When we arrived in Abergavenny over three years ago we didn’t know anyone or anything about the area. Nowadays, we are fully embedded in the community and have a fabulous circle of friends. We feel very happy and settled here and so lucky to have found the place that we plan to call our home for the rest of our lives.

Tell us something about yourself
Alongside running the Focus, Hannah is a part-time psychologist. She heads up a team of behavioural therapists in London and specialises in Autism. She also speaks fluent spanish and french. Fluent-ish. Pete loves nothing better than hunting for mushrooms and fungus. He is yet to teach our dog, Ludo, how to successfully hunt out truffles.

Tell us something we don’t know
Many people don’t realise that Focus Magazines is made up of just the two of us. We do everything from article writing and graphic design, down to the less glamourous stamp licking and envelope filling. When you speak to Focus Magazines, you’ll reach either Hannah or Pete.

Allsorts Nursery

of Allsorts Nursery

How long have you run the  business?
Allsorts is led and managed by a voluntary committee and has been running since 1983.

Tell us something you love  about the area in which we live.
We are located in the lovely little town of Crickhowell. The children are lucky to have a nursery in such a picturesque setting. We like to get involved with local businesses which include church and the library.

Tell us something about your staff:
Charlotte Williams has a great love of Disney World. Barbara Dunning has been at Allsorts from the very beginning. Michelle Barker loves to bake. Lacey Workman loves Welsh. Ruth Jenkins is very arty. Sophie Prosser is very organised

Tell us something we don’t know
We encourage parental participation with the running of Allsorts as it’s our interest to have people join us from all walks of life.  We are based at Crickhowell Community Sports Centre located in Crickhowell High School.

Jane Turner

Stone Carver & Letter Cutter

How long have you run the  business?
I established my business in 2003 and have been based at my Abergavenny workshop since 2008

Tell us something you love  about the area in which we live.
My favourite thing about this area is the Sugarloaf, which is the first thing I see from my bedroom window in the morning.

Tell us something about yourself
I love to go trail running on the Sugarloaf with my dog, Dilys. I have been known to go barefoot running on the mountain!

Tell us something we don’t know
When I was training in letter-cutting, I was involved in carving a memorial to the children’s author, Roald Dahl. Since then I have carried out public commissions for several UK local authorities and for the NHS. In 2012 I was commissioned to design and produce a sculptural fountain for the Italian Gardens at Pontypool Park. The fountain comprises three large stone carvings – two fish and a dragon – frolicking in the water beneath a rocky fountain. The figures weigh over a tonne each!

Christina Heath

Rambler’s Rest Cottage

How long have you run the  business?
8 years

Tell us something you love  about the area in which we live.
I love the calm, green, gentle hills of Powys, with its stunning rivers and waterfalls. I have visitors from all over the world, and quite a large percentage of these have a connection with Crickhowell in some way.  Plus, FOUR of my previous visitors have since purchased a home in the town!

Tell us something about yourself.
I am a lover of all things VW – especially the old (original) Beetles. It’s my dream to own a T2 type camper-van!!

Tell us something we don’t know
The previous owner of the cottage had lived in it all of his life. He was the local postie and had been known and loved by everyone. When he became too elderly to look after the cottage, I was extremely privileged to be in a position to buy it from him. When he found out that I was going to use it as a self-catering cottage, he was absolutely delighted to know that many other people – both from home and abroad – would be able to share the home he had lived in all his life.  He came to visit, when we had re-decorated, and was thrilled that we had not changed anything – other than paint colours!

Kevin Walker

of Kevin Walker Mountain Activities

How long have you run the business?
Longer than I care to admit – over 35 years now!

Tell us something you love about the area in which we live.
What is there not to love? I can walk out of my front door and be in superb walking country within 5 minutes. And the moors are ideal for teaching people the art of navigation!

Tell us something about yourself
I haven’t changed my name – honest! And I didn’t choose my job simply to go with my name! (Walking with Walker is a pretty good tag line though!). I see myself as much as an entertainer as a hill guide or instructor – my aim is to bring the landscape to life with unexpected facts, legends and anecdotes.

Tell us something we don’t know
I don’t just do guided walks and courses… I also run team development events, do talks and shows, write guide-books and articles, take photographs… a bit of a glorified mountain-comber really!

Alejandra VelascoFlamenco Classes

How long have you run the business?
My experience as a teacher,choreographer and dancer began in Spain at the age of 16 and  in the United Kingdom since 2003.

Tell us something you love  about the area in which we live.
I didn’t know Crickhowell until a few months ago, but I fell in love from the first day. It’s a beautiful and peaceful place, I love it!!

Tell us something about yourself
I’m a very simple person, I like spending time with people I love. Most of my friends and my family are in Spain so it’s difficult sometimes, but I have my partner and he makes things easier when I’m homesick. He is my rock.

Tell us something we don’t know
Nearly all my life has been dedicated to learning and teaching Flamenco. I find it a wonderful discipline, and when teaching dance, I try to teach to my students the ability of expressing emotions with the face; showing joy, pain, romance, anger. Flamenco is also about speaking only with gestures and telling a story without any words other than the poetry of the body. It is an excellent aerobic exercise recommended at any age that offers the possibility of enjoyment and keeping fully fit.