Why complicate life when the easiest thing is to enjoy it? That's what they came up with James Lynch and Sian Tucker when they decided to give life to fforest in 2004. At that time, she was dedicated to design textile and children's book publishing, while he worked on property development for creatives who decided to settle in Shoreditch , London.
Then came the children (four!), the neighborhood that had once entertained them began to lose its unique charm, and the wild beauty of summers spent in West Wales began to draw their attention to put down roots.
Neither slow nor lazy they rushed to buy the 80 hectares that now make up fforest, a network of accommodations – Onsen domes ecological , 'crog' lofts in which the kitchen and bathroom are on the outside of the house to coexist with nature and huts of luxury with a garden – that coexist with a Georgian-style farmhouse, a pub and even a sauna inside a cedar barrel. Luxury, nature and the search to be self sufficient , a dream come true that we discover at the hands of James Lynch.
**Fforest has come a long way since it started. How do you feel having created a project that opted for sustainability at a time when no one considered it necessary? **
20 years ago, Cardigan it was an area where there was almost nothing, it was impossible to have a good cup of coffee, buy sourdough bread or even limes at the local grocer (Tesco). But we loved this place: the sea, the river, the fresh air and the local product. And when we decided to move the whole family to this part of Wales, we decided to bet everything on building a company dedicated to a new (and vaguely defined) tourism concept.
Getting started was difficult and the neighborhood meetings were difficult. Although Sian's parents were from the area - her mother speaks Welsh - we were still considered foreign with ideas that were met with suspicion and sometimes hostility. For some at that time the word 'eco' was perceived in relation to activists hippies who chained themselves to a tree to protest against logging (they were ahead of their time). Therefore, they thought that an eco-resort like the one we wanted to do would cause problems. So the first few years were not easy, but we continued with our dream. We realized that there was a generation of young families like us who were looking for the vacation experience – linked to nature and the environment – that we wanted to create.
We needed a lot of hope and perseverance, but there were also people who offered us their encouragement and support, especially the young people who worked with us to shape our dream.
How do we feel now? We have a business that is doing very well, continues to grow and is accompanied by a great team – made up largely of young locals – who have not had to move outside of Cardigan to find work. The reputation of the area and the surrounding area is now recognized as a place to vacation but also to live. The beauty and nature it is found everywhere but now with even more value and importance. The town has more and more independent shops – some owned by former fforest workers. Now we can have a good cup of coffee and Tesco already sells limes. And there are also some locals like us. So it makes us feel very proud to see what we have achieved and, particularly, the positive impact that we have had in this place.
How is the long-awaited sustainability achieved in fforest?
I think economizing is a great driver of sustainability . When I was a kid in Scotland my family didn't have a lot of money, we were just an ordinary working family. My father grew vegetables in our back garden and built everything, including our wooden toys. My mother sewed our clothes and she was a great cook. Every piece of the chicken was used and we ate boiled and roasted pork feet as a "prize" when we watched TV on Saturday nights. They were a few pence, but I still remember how good they tasted.
Living like this was not something special, it was normal . And normality in the way we live and work is our sustainable approach at fforest.
What is the role of the whole family in fforest? What is a normal day like for you?
Normally I am planning and organizing the projects to come, as well as developing them. we usually design and build all of us, so I also dedicate myself to it together with our team, while keeping an eye on the economic health of the company.
Sian, for her part, is more involved in the immediate actions, planning events like our Glow, a wellness retreat for women or Gather, our creative festivals for families. She is also in charge of aesthetics and decoration of fforest, such as the design of our Welsh wool textiles. And although we have wonderful equipment, we both also get into the kitchen from time to time to lend a hand.
How have your travels influenced the way you see hospitality?
In New Zealand the way to see life is to be authentic and love your country. The idea of hospitality is actually a natural continuation of life because people really do find pleasure in giving. Japan combines precision in its good work with an appreciation for rustic things and natural experiences, which can also be said of the scandinavian culture.
For example, Denmark has a strong affinity for Japanese design and understanding of what is special. These different approaches have influenced us and found their place at fforest, whether in the design of our Onsen domes or in the feeling of community and spirit.
Nature and rural beauty are part of your philosophy. Why?
They are the roots from which we have grown. The essence of a place, any place, is its environment, the nature that surrounds it and the history that has created it. Both rural and urban beauty are layers of this emotional texture and those that inspire me and fill me with philosophy.
How do you feel when you see that your children are now part of fforest as well as Pizzatipi, the fforest pizzeria?
It makes me very happy that fforest has given them something and I hope that one day they will give something back to fforest. Everyone is involved in both team management and creative development: for us both factors go hand in hand.
You will open a new accommodation, The Albion, in 2022. How has fforest evolved to this new hotel concept?
Studying art taught us, both Sian and me, to look for alternatives when facing problems. More than a predetermined business plan, fforest started as an experiment, a collage. That everything has been growing little by little has given us the opportunity to observe and make better decisions.
We buy the victorian ships that make up The Albion before the fforest farm and somehow giving them new life has removed the same feelings we felt when we created fforest. For both projects, we are inspired by the personality of the place and seek to highlight its natural beauty.
When completed, The Albion - our first hotel in Cardigan Town - will celebrate the area's maritime past, but also add a bit of urban glamor and color to the collection of experiences that are available to our guests at fforest.
What other projects does the future hold for you?
Begin Cardigan Coalyard (Iard glo Aberteifi), next to the river and opposite The Albion, next to The Pizzatipi (the outdoor pizza restaurant run by his sons). It will be a event space and exhibitions, as well as a restaurant specializing in fish dishes, meat and grilled local produce. We think this will be the last part of the collage... but we'll see.
