Although Rural Concierge was established in 2013, my roots in travel and tourism go back much further.

My passion for travel began in the early 1990s during a school work-experience placement at Lady Hawkins School in Kington. I spent one week at a travel agency in the summer and another at a veterinary practice in the depths of winter — which very quickly confirmed where my future lay.

I went on to complete two GNVQ qualifications in Leisure and Tourism at Herefordshire College of Technology, before moving to New College Durham to gain an HND (Higher National Diploma) in Business with Travel Management.

My first role in the travel industry was at Thomas Cook headquarters in Peterborough, booking flights all over the world for customers — initially via teletext, and later through what was then considered new technology: the internet.

Missing the countryside of Herefordshire, I returned home and worked in a variety of travel agencies, arranging holidays, honeymoons and worldwide itineraries. Throughout this time, my focus was always on attention to detail and creating the very best experience for each individual customer.

After a short break from the travel industry, I was proud to become Tourism Officer for Visit Herefordshire within Herefordshire Council. In this role, I promoted my home county and helped organise events such as the Herefordshire Walking Festival, the Herefordshire Food Festival and the Herefordshire Food Awards. Although I had arranged itineraries all over the world, I particularly enjoyed creating themed itineraries around Herefordshire and hosting journalists and press visits to showcase the very best of the county.

Following later staffing cuts, I was made redundant — a difficult moment at the time, but one that ultimately led to the creation of Rural Concierge.

Just before being made redundant, a volunteer at Hereford Tourist Information mentioned Heritage Country House Tours to me and explained that the organiser was looking for someone to take over. Heritage Country House Tours (H.C.H.T.) had been established in 1987 by Bill Asbury and his wife Jackie, and was later taken over in 2001 by Hazel Smith, who ran it successfully until 2013.

Starting my own business was something I had been talking about for a long time, but it was still daunting. In the back of my mind, I often wondered how I could run a successful business doing something I was so passionate about.

Taking over from Hazel in 2013 brought its own pressures, but with the support of a loyal and well-established customer base — and a few lessons learned along the way — the journey soon began. From realising that a coach does not travel quite as quickly as a car, to understanding the importance of careful route planning, experience and confidence grew with every trip.

With encouragement, good humour and trust from those who travelled with me, Heritage Country House Tours later merged into Rural Concierge, allowing me to continue offering the same carefully planned, culturally rich experiences — but with a broader, more personal approach.
  I am often told that travelling with Rural Concierge feels less like a tour and more like a day out with family and friends, and this is the essence of how I will always want Rural Concierge to be.