A former secretary who transformed her historic family nest into a thriving care home is continuing its legacy after handing over the reins to her two sons who are planning a major expansion creating 20 new jobs.<\/p>\n
Priscilla Llewelyn, 75, is retiring from an industrious 31-year career in social care during which she co-founded the successful 34 bedroom Penpergwm House private residential home in The Bryn, Abergavenny, which was once her family home.<\/p>\n
The grandmother-of-nine has been praised by social care champions Care Forum Wales for her passion and positivity over the past three decades which has included iPad lessons for \u201csilver surfers\u201d and fitness workouts.<\/p>\n
The business, which includes a domiciliary care company and another providing HR, legal and management expertise, employs a total of 100 people.<\/p>\n
Priscilla, who was brought up in Truro, Cornwall and now lives in Llanvihangel Crucorney, has no plans to slow down in retirement and will be taking on a new role as a development consultant and ambassador for the business in the New Year.<\/p>\n
A London-trained secretary, Priscilla is handing over the business to her sons Hugo and Ben Llewelyn who have ambitious plans for expansion including the development of a number of supported living apartments in the home\u2019s grounds.<\/p>\n
Hugo, 47, who has worked in property investment for a number of years, came on-board as a director in 2010 and oversaw further expansion which included the launch of the Penpergwm Care Management subsidiary business which provides HR, legal and management services to other care homes.<\/p>\n
He also oversaw a third extension which saw the home grow from 24-beds to 34.<\/p>\n
Ben, meanwhile, also a director, runs a successful wine importing business and joined the business a year ago as the Responsible Individual for the domiciliary side of the business, Penpergwm House Home Care. His wife, Georgie, 41, is employed as Business Development Director for Penpergwm Care Management.<\/p>\n
\u201cI find it very sad to step down but I have to emphasise it is my choice to do it now. I\u2019m 75 and it\u2019s better to do it when you\u2019re still able,\u201d explained Priscilla.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice and organised and I\u2019m really happy with the people taking over. It\u2019s been the most brilliant career and work to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a once in a lifetime opportunity to get involved in a care home and I grabbed it and thank goodness I did!<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had fantastic examples of people working for us who\u2019ve come in as a cleaner for years and years with no confidence and who\u2019ve gone on to do so well in other roles. Nothing is a barrier. We are so lucky that things are so much easier now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mario Kreft MBE, the Chair of Care Forum Wales, congratulated Priscilla for her vision and energy over the decades and for her \u201ccan do\u201d approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cPenpergwm has developed an excellent reputation over the years, receiving recognition far and wide for its positive approach to care.<\/p>\n
\u201cPriscilla also made an invaluable contribution to the social care sector across Wales and served as a Council member of Care Forum Wales for a number of years.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is proof anything is possible with hard work and commitment and I am delighted her legacy will continue in the safe hands of her family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Priscilla, who also has two daughters, Jo Ogilvy, 39, and Virginia Hutchins, 49, has many happy memories bringing her children up in The Old Rectory, as the care home was known then.<\/p>\n
With 10 bedrooms and substantial grounds to maintain, Priscilla reluctantly put it on the market in 1987 and never imagined it would soon become the focus of a flourishing career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had never thought of owning a care home before,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI put the house on the market without really wanting to sell it but it was too big. Some people came to the door and wanted to set it up as a care home but they couldn\u2019t fund it and then someone else came along who had the investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all went to the local pub, The Horse and Jockey, and had a series of meetings there over fish and chips and that\u2019s how we set it all up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just lucky and grabbed an opportunity when it came my way.\u201d<\/p>\n
After two years, Priscilla bought out one of the three partners while the other partner continued for 16 years before retiring from the business at which point Priscilla continued on her own.<\/p>\n
Originally the home launched with eight bedrooms and within a few years had doubled in size to 16 bedrooms. Further extensions took place and the latest development saw a further eight bedrooms added five years ago, taking the total to 34 bedrooms.<\/p>\n
On the back of her success, Priscilla also launched a domiciliary business, Penpergwm Home Care, around 15 years ago which supported people in their own homes in South Wales.<\/p>\n
Penpergwm now employs more than 100 staff across the three areas of the business.<\/p>\n
Oxford University graduate Hugo, who has a four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son, said: \u201cWe are really proud of my mother\u2019s achievements. Penpergwm has been a major part of our lives and it has been brilliant. It has been a very successful business and what\u2019s great now is that we have the opportunity to build on that with the three strands of the business.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is all about continuation. We are building on what our mother has achieved in terms of Penpergwm\u2019s reputation and quality.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have further plans to create some very nice retirement units linked to the care home for people getting into their 70s or 80s who might not want to live in a care home exclusively but live independently within the grounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cPriscilla is going to be a consultant for that particular programme and her future job will be as an ambassador for the home.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has always had a love of property development so we are really looking forward to using her expertise. My mother wants to pro-tire not retire! She\u2019s an incredibly active person and that will not stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben, 44, who has two sons aged twelve and eight and a daughter aged 10 and who lives in Bryngwyn, a few miles from Penpergwm House, added: \u201cIn reality we\u2019ve all been involved in the business since the beginning as it was our family home. It always has been a major part of our mum\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat she has achieved is no mean feat although she would never admit to it. She has made a fantastic job of creating a well-respected and long established business.<\/p>\n
\u201cMum will remain a very useful source of advice in the future but I hope she uses her many varied skills to do other things in her life too.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike all businesses, if you don\u2019t carry on growing you stand still. There are lots of ideas and plans but we are just committed to providing the most quality-driven care that we can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Priscilla has no plans to take it easy in retirement and has already embarked on a course in Moral Philosophy at Cardiff University.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel so proud and terribly sad to be leaving at the same time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was 63 I took a qualification and passed my Level 5 in Leadership and Management. I hadn\u2019t done any kind of study, training or exams since I had left school. I think there is a real message here in the fantastic opportunities available now, especially for women, and you just have to grab them when you can.\u201d<\/p>\n