Brand Ambassadors for the Midlands

Little did she know, hot-footing it to London to complete her journalism training, failing miserably to get a job in the post-recession capital and landing a role as soon as she moved home proved to be the best “worst time” of her life. It wasn’t until she was away from the countryside that she realised she missed it; the friendly people, the fresh air and above all, better career prospects. On return from London she qualified as a senior journalist and moved into marketing and PR, with experience in travel, tourism, visitor experience, food and farming.

Rural Roots was founded in 2016 with a passion for and specialism in rural tourism and visitor experience and Megan has since worked across the sector – from castles to campsites and farm to fork. Her bespoke hands-on campaigns are centred around growing a business’s reputation as an expert in their field, to capture and entice their target audience across multiple platforms and ensure visitor experience is at the heart of everything they do. She wants visitors to the Great British countryside to be inspired and take great memories, stories and a slice (or bottle) home with them through engaging PR and creative journalism.

Megan is an ambassador for supporting small rural businesses and her aim is to provide SMEs with the skills they need to tell their stories, compete with changing trends and engage with tech-savvy audiences and can consult with you to steer you in the right direction when it comes to telling their story.

Volunteering is a big part of her life-from skill sharing with local charities to working on the information desk at Birdfair. She is also a WiRE network leader, ensuring rural businesswomen achieve great things and encourage each other and has recently launched a Rutland netwalking group.

Not surprisingly, she travels a lot in her spare time and is happiest when exploring Britain’s heritage and countryside by car or on foot over long weekends and holidays and collecting regional bottled beers, which is why I started The Rural Travel Guide – she wants to help rural tourism businesses from across the country to tell their story, from the roots up.

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We believe small measures can make a big difference and have incorporated a wide range of renewable energy technology, minimising our impact on our environment. A warm welcome awaits including little extras; from delicious home baked bread, and our own free-range eggs, to gorgeous eco-friendly toiletries and home-grown flowers.

The success of the first accessible log cabin demonstrated the need for high quality accessible accommodation which was homely rather than clinical in design. Accessibility was initially a financial business decision, but inspired by meeting so many guests with disabilities and their amazing stories we have become accessible holiday specialists.

With access at heart, when we expanded with two further log cabins the level of accessibility was increased. As the business developed we added to the wide range of extra equipment available by listening to guests and what they need to fully enjoy a relaxing and stress-free holiday. Our passion for accessibility sets us apart from other rural tourism accommodation providers and ensures our occupancy levels remain well above average.

As part of our mission to remove barriers and promote inclusivity we are proud to be the first and only UK accommodation provider to offer our own Boma 7 off-road wheelchair for hire to guests and local people. This all-terrain buggy attracts guests with disabilities as it enables them to explore the countryside alongside family and friends – the smile on people’s faces says it all!

Horse riding is another passion of Felicity’s and our location right beside the National bridleway makes us very popular with guests bringing their own horses on holiday.

The business is continually evolving with emphasis on both accessibility and sustainability; making the most of our rural environment to create lasting memories for guests on holiday. After a long day in the countryside guests love kicking off their muddy boots and retreating to the comfort of their cosy log cabin or glamping pod.

In 2016 we added 2 glamping pods with ensuite facilities and eco infra-red heating; a unique tranquil space to unwind, connect with nature and watch the wildlife. With our dark skies Hoe Grange is a peaceful haven where guests can also unwind in the log-fired hot tub under the stars.

New for 2018 is a secure cycle shelter so guests can bring their own bicycles to explore the many off-road trails. There will also be a new small farmyard shop selling local produce and crafts to support our #LoveLocal economy.

Little did we realise when we set out on our journey as traditional farmers with no experience in tourism, that our holidays would become the main enterprise, and we would become a highly respected, award winning business within the self-catering sector!

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