Young Padog farmer expands into metal

Dec 15 2011 by Ian Hughes, North Wales Weekly News

A YOUNG farmer in Padog is welding heavyweight ideas into a flourishing business.

Dafydd Thomas, 21, builds anything in metal, from delicate chandeliers to large farm gates and trailer chassis extensions.

His customer base is right on his doorstep – North Wales farmers.

The business is located at the family farm Tai Hirion, near Betws-y-Coed, where his parents Glyn and Hafwen gave him encouragement to get started.

“At the beginning, I thought it would be two or three days in the workshop and two or three days of farming, but the truth is I have hardly seen Dafydd on the farm because he is always busy day in, day out building things in the workshop,” Glyn said.

Hafwen added: “We are very grateful to our many friends and neighbours who have put their faith in Dafydd and given him orders for work. In fact he is getting to the stage now where his current order book is almost full.”

There is a strong element of following in father’s footsteps because Glyn, as well as being a farmer, has been welding for many years.

Dafydd said: “The business is becoming well known and I really have to thank all the local people who have supported me.

“Although sheds are the most common products I make, I’ve also made quite a few sheep shearing trailers and hydraulic decks for livestock containers, as well as large gates and novelty items such as chandeliers.”

The Tai Hirion upland farm, part of the Penrhyn Estate, has been the Thomas family home since the 1950s.

Glyn and Hafwen are second-generation farmers there. The house and yard are 730ft above sea level and the highest field is at 1,000ft with plenty of rainfall and reasonably good quality grazing.

They keep about 100 cattle and 1,000 ewes and buy and sell throughout the year.

Glyn explained: “We don’t send any of the sheep out for wintering and start lambing mid-March.

“We keep the pure Welsh lambs housed for a couple of months to teach them how to eat and start selling mid-June and our preference is to sell through the Llanrwst market and to Welsh Country Foods in Gaerwen on Anglesey.”