Bluestone is the brainchild of William McNamara
OBE.
A Pembrokeshire man by birth, William had been destined for a
career in farming but during the mid 80s, as the industry went
through a series of changes, William realised that his future lay
elsewhere. He chose to diversify into the leisure industry, and
over the next 15 years, carved out such a successful career that he
was awarded an OBE for services to tourism.
Around ten years ago, however, William realised there was a gap
in the market for activity-based short breaks, with an emphasis on
high quality accommodation and standards of service. And in the
beautiful peninsular county of Pembrokeshire, he already had the
ideal setting. William wanted something iconic; a flagship
development for Wales. He envisaged a world-class, year-round
leisure and holiday destination that would be designed and built to
operate in harmony with Pembrokeshire’s matchless natural
splendour.
Over the next ten years, William researched and honed his vision
- and in 2002, he unveiled his plans....
The initial idea had crystallised into proposals for new
generation short-break destination, to be developed over two
woodland vales in the heart of the Pembrokeshire countryside. One
vale would be a forested haven of beauty and tranquillity with
luxury timber lodges, a traditional Celtic village, relaxing health
spa and other exclusive amenities. The other would be abuzz with
high-energy excitement, entertainment and activity to suit all
tastes, including a subtropical waterpark and a sophisticated snow
centre.
At the core of the development proposals, however, were
principles of sustainability; of care for, and enhancement of, the
natural environment. A sensible, sustainable approach to business
shouldn’t detract from the visitor’s experience, William reasoned,
but enhance it. Now, Bluestone is a burgeoning reality. It has
grown from what Business Insider magazine called ‘the biggest and
most ambitious start-up Wales has ever seen,’ into a crucial
economic driver for Pembrokeshire.
Ultimately, Bluestone will employ 700 people, making it one of
the biggest private sector employers in the county, and inject
around £35 million into the local economy every year. But it will
also be at the forefront of developing green technologies in a real
world setting, learning lessons that can be applied across the
wider leisure industry. Ten years after William McNamara woke up
one morning with a germ of an idea, Bluestone has become what he
wanted it to be; an icon for Wales.