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The Wellbeing Farm: from Lancashire farm to the world’s first B Corp certified events venue
Celia Gaze swapped an NHS directorship for a crumbling Lancashire farm, which she transformed into an amazing sustainable event space, with a £1m turnover and a brace of bow tie wearing llamas.
Read time: 6 mins Added: 24/08/26
A business born from burnout
The story of The Wellbeing Farm in Edgworth, Bolton began when founder Celia Gaze decided she needed a fresh start after a high-pressure career as an NHS director of reconfiguration left her facing burnout. So, Celia returned to her studies and enrolled on a course in organisational stress, and a piece of coursework changed her life: design a facility to minimise stress. That inspired a plan to transform a rundown farm owned by her partner into an inspiring, sustainable events venue, though turning that vision into reality proved harder than expected.
Celia approached multiple banks with a detailed, evidence-based business plan running to 50 pages – the kind of document that would have impressed in the NHS – but at first everyone rejected her.
Celia Gaze Founder, The Wellbeing FarmWhen I first started, everybody thought I was absolutely crazy. Why on earth would anyone give up an NHS career and pension for llamas and a farm? But you only have one life. You've just got to be bold and get on with it. I was turned down by so many banks before Lloyds were the ones who backed my vision. That meant we could transform what was a neglected farm into a multi-award-winning conference centre and wedding venue.
Building a purpose-led business
With Lloyds' backing, Celia began transforming the farm into something extraordinary. Total investment has now reached £1.3m, funding everything from a wind turbine and water treatment plant to modern conference facilities and parking. Wherever possible, upcycled and recycled materials have been used, like the ex-army parachutes that line the main wedding venue’s ceiling, itself a former cattle shed.
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Celia Gaze, Founder, The Wellbeing Farm:
I'm Celia Gaze. I'm the founder and chief executive of The Wellbeing Farm, located in Lancashire.
So The Wellbeing Farm is a B Corp certified events and wedding venue. The underpinning element is a sustainable and fun venue. So sustainability for The Wellbeing Farm is the crucial filter through which every decision is made.
The Willow Review has these recommendations on sustainable energy. We looked through the entire spectrum of energy efficiency and sustainable energy options, but we settled on a wind turbine.
The wind turbine is a 20 kilowatt turbine, which powers the farm. We'd investigated all the different types of renewables, and because of the location being 800 feet above sea level, the wind turbine seemed to be the perfect solution. It became the symbol of sustainability of the farm, and it started the whole sustainability journey from there.
With energy saving, it's not all about choosing renewables. It's also about the energy saving devices that you use on a daily basis.
I dread to think, if I hadn't got that wind turbine, how much my bills would be because the money I spend on electricity versus the income I get from the turbine almost makes electricity cost neutral. And without some sort of sustainable energy provision, I really would almost panic as a business.
So one of the commercial and financial benefits of implementing sustainable energy has really been reputational growth, and that has also meant bookings for us. We embarked on the B Corp certification, and then that has secured big contracts, and we are finding that actually it prices you in almost like a premium price brand. You no longer have to battle with your competitors over bargain pricing.
We go for the benefits that that company will get from choosing a sustainable, creative venue. People are looking for sustainable businesses, so it almost becomes an absolute essential.
The Wellbeing Farm first opened in 2013 and today the venue hosts around 75 weddings and 50 corporate events each year, from office parties to leadership retreats, conferences, product launches, team building days and more. High-profile corporate clients include L'Oréal, the NHS, the Manufacturers’ Alliance and many more, who return repeatedly to enjoy the creative environment.
The Farm employs 15 full-time equivalent staff, rising to around 35 during the busy summer season, many of whom are young people, including one worker who joined the team at 15 and Celia sponsored to complete a degree apprenticeship.
During lockdown, while other wedding venues closed their doors, Celia pursued B Corp certification, which is only awarded to businesses that meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, becoming the first wedding venue in the world to achieve the accreditation.
Celia Gaze Founder, The Wellbeing FarmI'm on a mission to prove that hospitality can be commercially successful and also purpose led; good for the planet and the community. In the early years, it was a real struggle because I was doing everything myself. So, now I leave the day-to-day running of the Farm to my team while I take a more ambassadorial role, speaking at events and spreading the word about the Farm. I find that, when people hear the Farm’s story, they really buy into it.
A particular breakthrough came in 2015 when, on a whim, Celia dressed the Farm’s llamas in bow ties and posted the pictures on social media. Almost immediately, bookings started flooding in and the smartly dressed llamas have now become the Farm’s unofficial mascots.
Celia says: “There was no strategy involved. It was the simplest, craziest idea, but it actually really worked. I think too many people fail in hospitality because they're just not different enough.”
The venue has since won both Wedding Venue of the Year and Business Events Venue of the Year, a rare double that speaks to its versatility. Users can choose from a diverse portfolio of experiences, from yoga to cocktail making classes and silent discos. And key to the Farm’s appeal is the opportunity to interact with the animals who live there, including the famous bow-tie-wearing llamas.
Inspiring the next generation
Celia is now a TEDx speaker and published author. Her book, ‘Why Put a Bow Tie on a Llama’, reached the Business Book Awards and tells the story of how a spontaneous decision transformed the business. Now Celia is planning to build glamping pods so guests can stay overnight, and she is determined that the business achieves its full potential.
She is also open about having ADHD, which she considers a superpower, and her willingness to discuss neurodiversity, combined with her journey from public sector to entrepreneur, has made her an inspiration to women and career changers considering a similar leap.
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