PBI assists Lower Haythog Farm with an agri-diversification project

Monday 21st June 2010

Lower Haythog Farm, owned and run by Nesta Thomas, put in a series of improvements to her 4 and 5* accommodation with the help of PBI who assisted with a detailed project plan and a successful application for funding. Over the last 30 years Lower Haythog has built up a reputation of providing warm and friendly hospitality, but with increasingly more discerning visitors coming to Pembrokeshire, Nesta wanted to enhance her accommodation and service even more to keep Lower Haythog in line with the best providers in Wales.

About the support

Nesta accessed the funding to improve the interiors of the holiday cottages to ensure they kept their 5 * ratings and to develop a new website and promotional campaign to attract a wider spectrum of customers that would extend the shoulder season. However, with the grant providing a small amount of funding towards the overall project cost, Nesta needed the assumptions for future income based on an increase in trade to be credible and to know that the business could afford to undertake the refurbishment work.

Richard Smith, PBI Business Adviser, gave hands on support to help prepare the financial forecasts based on previous accounts and management accounts which led to realistic and achievable forecasts being produced. Together they developed a project plan that ensured Nesta knew exactly how many new customers she needed, and by when, to make the project a success. Richard commented, “This was very much a team effort between the two of us and we achieved a lot during the meetings that we had together. Nesta knew what improvements she wanted to make to the accommodation, my role was to ensure that all changes were properly costed and to demonstrate that a return on the investment could be made.”

The Results

The project further enhanced what was a very good business and ensured that Lower Haythog could maintain its 5* and 4* status under the Visit Wales criteria. The improvements will help the business to be competitive in a difficult market. Over the last six months customer numbers have increased, with business expecting a busy summer and to extend this into the autumn of 2010. The project has safeguarded Nesta’s business and the jobs of the people that she employs to provide the outstanding customer service that makes Lower Haythog a leading accommodation provider in Wales.

In their own words

Nesta concludes, “Without the support from Richard at PBI I would not have been able to develop my business idea and take it to the next stage. I had ideas for improvements but needed help to make sure these would generate enough income to secure the business over the next 12 months and to put Lower Haythog in a position to continue to offer outstanding services for many years to come. Getting help to secure a grant was an extra bonus I could not have achieved without Richard’s support.”

Richard Smith, Business development adviser at PBI said; “I see Lower Haythog as a great example of how PBI can make a real difference to businesses in Pembrokeshire. We have the capacity to get to know a business and the business owners themselves to quickly establish a working rapport. This relationship helped Nesta to develop her ideas which I backed up with detailed plans and financial forecasts, to ensure the project came to a successful fruition in a professional and timely manner.”

Lower Hathog Farm received support through PBI’s ‘Business Support for Farm Diversification’ Programme. The programme has received funding through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. Click here for more information on the Rural Development Programme.

If you are interested in accessing support to help start, grow or improve your business, please contact PBI to find out more information about how we can assist you and eligibility for subsidised support schemes that you may be able to access.

Call: 01646 695300, eMail:info@pbi.org.uk or visit:www.pbi.org.uk

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