If green juices, basket weaving and suffocating silences are not your idea of a lively weekend retreat, a North Wales host may have a solution at hand. Mum-of-two Cerys Parry-Jones believes crafts and health foods have their place but they’re nowhere near as much fun as what she has in store for her guests.

Next week she is launching the first of her themed retreats, a heady concoction of wine, fine food and lots of laughter. Her idea is a comedy retreat with workshops, stand-up and drag dancing. Even Big Willy, the event’s cocktail mixologist, is guaranteed to provide a laugh or two.

The initial three-day retreat at a luxury Gwynedd farmhouse is for women only. Cerys hopes the chance to chuckle will provide her guests with temporary respite from the pressures of everyday life.

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She said: “My own life is crazy! I’m under pressure, juggling work, business and the domestic grind, all the while acting as referee to twin girls who genuinely think they are teenagers but are in fact six and a half!”

Cerys, who has a background in education, offers shepherd’s hut stays at Bronferiaeth Farm in Glan Conwy with her farmer partner Emyr Owen. For her retreats, however, she wanted something more spacious, so she opted for Talybont Uchaf, a listed 15th century farmhouse overlooking the Menai Strait in Talybont, near Bangor.

As well as accommodating larger groups, Talybont Uchaf is a wedding venue with a covered courtyard and hot tub and BBQ house. Each room is themed and the dining room seats 24 and has a grand piano.

Cerys Parry-Jones, organiser and hostess of the three-night comedy retreat
Cerys Parry-Jones, organiser and hostess of the three-night comedy retreat

Cerys reckons it’s the ideal place to “escape the crazy” and use laughter as the perfect way to “rediscover those feel-good endorphins”. Each morning she’ll be hosting breakfast and encouraging guests to reinvigorate their funny bones.

“Since 2020 life has been tough for all of us,” she said. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve been just getting through, surviving, and it’s felt like all work and no play”.

“Just recently I spent some time in the company of people who made me laugh out loud, really belly laugh, properly out of control, hiccupping and crying laughter. It felt amazing. This is the gift I want to share.”

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Four comedy performers and experts have been lined up for the weekend. They include comedienne Suzy Bennett, winner of a Funny Women Award, who will be sharing stand-up tips for those who want to have a go.

An intriguing option is learning to drag dance with Rob Stevens, artistic director of a youth theatre in Wrexham. Also on the bill is Jo Dixon, founder of Laughter Yoga Wales, who promises participants will “giggle their way to wellness”, and Funny Women founder Lynne Parker, who will be delivering her “Stand up to Stand out” workshop.

The line-up includes Funny Women founder Lynne Parker (left) and Suzy Bennett (right), who will be sharing stand-up comedy tips
The line-up includes Funny Women founder Lynne Parker (left) and Suzy Bennett (right), who will be sharing stand-up comedy tips

Comedy underpins the inaugural retreat but future themes will vary, encompassing everything from drag to the menopause. In terms of events, retreats are an intriguing tourism proposition as they pull in multiple local providers, with the likes of Holywell’s Ambermaze, a fine dining personal chef, featuring at the comedy weekend.

Cerys hopes her retreats will redefine the concept, with the accent firmly on informality. “There will be a chance to have a glass of wine, eat faboulous food and not get up at the crack of dawn,” she said. “There will be plenty of downtime too: guests can explore locally, book treatments or just spend time in their rooms eating chocolate biscuits if that’s what they need to do.”

  • The inaugural Women’s Comedy Retreat is on July 8-11. Price per person is £565, with discounts for group bookings. Cerys is also offering day prices to allow local people to attend. For details of this, and other information, visit her website or contact her on 07901 867007.

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