Biography

“I had been (and in fact still am) an organic vegetable box coordinator for some years and one day, about nine years ago, I rang the Soil Association to ask if they had any information about places to stay where organic produce was used in the meals offered to guests. I thought they might have a list of places they could send me but they didn’t, and that set me thinking.

After doing some research I found that there were B&Bs and small hotels using organic produce and eventually decided to put these places onto a website. With the help of someone who had done a bit of work for my husband, and by taking in students from a local dance college to fund my idea, I started to put the website together. Never having used a computer before I had a bit of a mental block about new technology and didn’t get the hang of using the Internet for about a year. However, once I did it was like opening Pandora’s Box, and I found organic places to stay all over the world

Although more and more people are using the Internet to source holiday accommodation, I know from running the website that often they want to have a hard copy of the information as well, which is why I compiled the book Organic Places to Stay in the UK. The first edition almost sold out within a year, and subsequently I’ve thoroughly enjoyed putting the second edition together, which has lots of new and interesting places to stay.

I still get a buzz out of finding a new ‘organic’ place to stay. I love contacting people and telling them about what I’m doing and finding that they are delighted to know that someone has gone to the trouble of putting all these like-minded people together on a website. It’s also fascinating to be contacted by people from countries all over the world, asking if their accommodation can be listed on the site.”

Linda is married with three grown up children and two grandchildren, and has lived in Guiseley, West Yorkshire all her life.