A song for the land

She was a child star with the voice of an angel' - now Charlotte Church is tapping into the healing power of nature to create a wellbeing retreat for all in the peaceful heartland of Wales

- Margaret Bartlett

Propelled to international fame aged just 11,  Charlotte Church sang exquisite arias to presidents and royalty in concert halls around the world; now she is offering sound healing of a different kind. Earlier this year, Charlotte opened the doors to The Dreaming, a nature-centred well-being retreat nestled among towering ancient woodland and tumbling waterfalls in a quiet valley in Powys, the heartland of Wales.

Charlotte greets me at the retreat, Rhydoldog House, and I'm struck by the singer-songwriter's glittering lively eyes and joyful irrepressible energy it's clear this land is nourishing her soul. But Charlotte found this house and its 19 hectares formerly owned by Laura Ashley quite by chance. "I was just coming for a nose. I was looking for a field - I wanted to start a glamping business, but I just got absolutely spellbound by the land and the forest and the waterfalls. It absolutely blew my tiny mind. I wasn't really interested in the house. It was the land and the Elan Valley in general; it's just such a beautiful place. I totally fell in love. The land soothed me and I've been its faithful servant ever since.

"When I came here, I immediately felt like it was such a powerful place, that there was such drama, such healing and such beauty and magic to be found here," she adds.