A WOMAN on Anglesey says she is “living out her dream” of having her own business dedicated to Alpacas.

Elaine Bavington has given homes to many rescue animals over the years and wanted to continue to do just that on a bigger scale upon moving to a farm near Bodorgan in 2014.

As a result of that, she brought her first alpaca in January 2015 and her love for the animals has since grown into a project of its own - with the ‘Anglesey Alpacas Walks’ allowing visitors to get up close to the gentle creatures.

“We started doing the alpaca walks last October but they have really taken off since February,” Elaine said.

“We are very proud to be the first to offer these activities in North Wales. All kinds of people - young and old - love getting up close to the alpacas.

“There are always lots of happy faces on our walks and activities. At the moment, these are taking place at Glan Morfa Holiday Cottages in Llangaffo on the beautiful nature reserve.”

Elaine’s farm currently houses 40 Huacaya alpacas, originally native to the Andes, - with one in particular proving to be a favourite among guests.

“The most popular one seems to be Little Iwan who nearly died after being born prematurely,” Elaine added.

“We had to bottle feed him and because of that, he is very friendly. All of them are so lovely, have such incredible fleeces, are gentle on the land, and are friendly and inquisitive animals.”

Elaine started running Alpaca Craft activities over Easter and hopes to offer more over the summer.

The sessions involve craft work using alpaca fleece, which is very soft and naturally anti-allergenic - so there is no itchiness.

Anglesey Alpacas are also set to start selling alpaca wool from the herd and running workshops in felting, knitting, crochet etc and kids crafts for children.

Elaine has also started to work with vulnerable groups such as care homes and hospices and has even took her alpacas to weddings to help make a couple’s special day even more unique.

“We originally moved to Anglesey to work on a new venture and having a farm meant that I could follow my dreams,” she said.

“People say that alpacas have a very soothing effect on them and many of our visitors say they feel relaxed and calm after their visit.”

You can find Anglesey Alpacas on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or on www.angleseyalpacas.com.