A NEW television series featuring Welsh singer Charlotte Church and her new life in Mid Wales airs this week.

The first episode in the eight-part series of ‘Charlotte Church’s Dream Build’ will be shown today, Tuesday, January 11, on Really and Discovery+, documenting Charlotte’s ambitious vision of transforming a grand, if dilapidated, Radnorshire stately home into a new wellness retreat.

Charlotte splashed out around £1.5 million on the picturesque Rhydoldog House, near Rhayader, in May last year – complete with its stunning 47-acre grounds and even its own helicopter landing area.

Rhydoldog House was the former home of fashion icon Laura Ashley up until 2009, with 35-year-old Charlotte and her family planning to transform the epic Elan Valley property into a holiday retreat, wellness centre and wedding venue.

In a trailer for the show, Charlotte admitted she had “spent her life savings” on the house, securing a £750,000 mortgage plus an additional £300k from her parents, having “given them a whack of money when I was a teenager”.

“It's a complete mess there, is so much work to do,” she said.

Talking about the show she said: “I feel so grateful to have been able to buy this house. I’m absolutely obsessed with the woodlands and the outside space.

“It’s such a special place. I’m really curious about the process of developing the wellness retreat and all the upskilling I’ll be learning about building – I hope.”

Charlotte’s aim is to transform the picturesque property into a community that will help people “reconnect with themselves and the natural world” following a turbulent year brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

On her Instagram Stories, she previously said: “At Rhydoldog House, a small, democratic building community is welcoming volunteers to live, work and learn on a radical and inspiring new wellness project: building an accessible, zero-emissions, off-grid, healing retreat centre in the heart of Wales. A short drive from the spectacular Elan Valley dams.

“Our vision for this community is one that can support the physical, spiritual, mental and emotional needs of all its members. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please check out our website. We’d love to hear from you all.”

Charlotte is married to musician Johnny Powell and they have a baby daughter called Frida, who Charlotte can be seen carrying around the grounds in the trailer. She also has two children with her previous partner, Welsh rugby player Gavin Henson, Ruby and Dexter.

Stepfather Jack is helping her with the renovations, but there’ll surely be no end of offers of help from the local community. Local businesses have already offered to help with the renovation work, including Rhayader-based store Hafod Hardware, who wrote: “This is going to be great. If we can help with anything, let us know.”

Episode 1 of Charlotte Church’s Dream Build will air on Really and Discovery+ from 9-10pm on Tuesday, January 11.

  • This article originally appeared on our sister site the County Times.