The co-founder of a residential home is planning to launch her book about its history and recalling fond staff memories when she attends Abergavenny Food Festival.

Priscilla Llewelyn spent a year during the pandemic reliving the first 30 years of the residential house and writing a book called ‘a History of Penpergwm House Residential Home.’

The book looks into the history of the residential house, the differences between care homes then and now and the difficulties she faced starting a business as a woman in the 1980s.

When she opened the residential house on January 2 1987 with her business partners Mike and Coleen Cauchi and David Filsell, there were eight residents and four double rooms that same sex residents would share.

She said: “In those days this was alright to do.

“It was an interesting concept for residents to share a room but it meant companionship for them.”

Priscilla explained: “A woman setting up a business and going to a bank to get a loan in those times was rare but with the help of my business partners I was able to do it.”

Priscilla explained how writing the book kept her occupied during the Covid-19 pandemic.

She said: “It was the pandemic that drove me to write.

“I was stuck in doors on my own and I didn’t want to go mad so I wrote.”

“I wrote the book to show how different homes are now, it’s so regulated whereas back then, it was so laidback.

“I loved writing the book.

“It gave me the opportunity to contact past members of staff about their time working there.

“I have some lovely stories from past staff members I wouldn’t expect them from.”

She went on to run Penpergwm for 32 years before retiring in 2018.

She said: “I loved every minute of it but I couldn’t have done it alone.

“We had a wonderful bit of luck that the partners started the business with me.

“It was like a fairy godmother came through the letter box.”

Priscilla will have a table at Abergavenny food festival on Saturday and Sunday September 17 and 18 where the book will be on sale for £10.