TV presenter Tudur’s in the business of tradition

PRESENTER and comedian Tudur Owen faces a new challenge in his three-part series Tudur Owen a’r Cwmni.

In a one-off programme last year, Tudur Owen a’i Gwmni Pysgod (Tudur Owen and his Fish Company), Mr Owen worked with the local community in Menai Bridge, Anglesey, to try to bring back the tradition of catching and selling local fish.

In this new series, he will give people from three areas – Nefyn, Conwy and Lampeter – the chance to come together to revive a trade which once played a central role in community life.

“The three programmes are totally different – we have three completely different stories about people venturing into business,” said Mr Owen, originally from Anglesey.

“As well as being entertaining, the programmes will make people think and I hope others will be inspired to come up with business ideas.”

In the first programme, Mr Owen will follow a community initiative by young people in Pen Llyn who want to restart the old milk round. Although Llyn Peninsula is home to a number of dairy farms, it’s years since milk has been delivered to doorsteps.

Milk produced and processed locally, by Siôn and Nia Jones of Madryn Isaf farm, will be used on the round. One of the highlights of the initiative occurs when the group manage to get access to an electric milk float used by the organisers of Notting Hill Carnival in London.

In the second programme Mr Owen helps people from Conwy revive the old craft of cider-making using apples from local orchards.

The final programme follows young fashion entrepreneur Angharad Williams, from Lampeter, as she creates a new collection of clothes for her boutique, Lan Llofft. Her aim is to use traditional values to create and sell clothes and to take advantage of the growing interest in ethical clothing.

“The programmes are very honest, as it’s not easy to venture into the world of business. People are venturing with money and energy. There’s always the possibility of failure and I think that makes the stories even more dramatic,” said Mr Owen, who has been involved in a number of different businesses over the years.

“There’s no question that the quality of local produce is better and it’s often difficult to get in touch with large companies with factories in China or wherever. But you have to ask yourself – do people see added value in buying local goods? I think people are willing to pay more for high-quality up to a point if they know the money is staying locally.”

The first programme airs on S4C on April 11 at 9.30pm.