She set up a wellbeing centre, but hers are no regular coaching sessions. Celia, 49, uses her team of “therapy llamas” – Vincent, Laurie, Ezra and Yasser – to help people in danger of burnout. 

The mum-of-one was working as a project manager across six hospitals when she was signed off with stress in 2010 and decided to resign. 

Along with her partner Stephen Whitehead, 52, a butcher, and son Matthew, 11, she moved to a run-down farm and came up with the idea for the centre.

Celia said doing a course on stress management helped her “understand why I went from being a high- flying career woman to a shivering wreck who couldn’t stop crying”. She continued: “At the same time, we were transforming the farm which had been in Stephen’s family for generations and wanted to do something different. 

“It had a horse livery centre that wasn’t being used and I knew we wanted animals that could live in a stable, handle the cold and were low maintenance. Llamas seemed most suitable so I went on a llama handling course, fell in love with the animals and bought four for £4,000. 

“As part of my studies, I’d discovered animal-related stress therapy and found that llamas were ideal. When you’re walking them, you bond and you have to concentrate on caring for them. 

“You switch off from everything else and as they settle down, you do too, so it’s a way of de-stressing.” 

So Celia created the Wellbeing Farm in Edgworth near Bolton.

As well as stress management workshops, she offers llama treks, children’s parties, butchery classes, cookery courses and hires out the farm for weddings. 

The weddings became an Instagram sensation when, as a joke, she dressed up the llamas in some of her father’s old bow ties and put a photo online. It went viral and bookings soared. People pay around £12,000 to hire out the farm for weddings with the llamas as part of the package. 

Celia also has two rescue donkeys named Gypsy and Crackerjack, who mingle with wedding guests. She said: “We went from two weddings a year to one every weekend and more during the week.” 

Celia has written a book about her personal journey called Why Put A Bow Tie On A Llama? 

She said: “Going from working in a corporate role, being stressed and miserable, to working with the animals is just a dream. I’m so grateful I found my llamas.” 

● Visit thewellbeingfarm.co.uk

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