A POCKET of Herefordshire countryside has been declared an 'Ofsted free zone' by a retired headteacher who has set up a retreat for school workers.

Rhiannon Taylor opened up her guesthouse in Longtown three years ago with her husband, Simon.

And the stone farmhouse accommodation called Little Trewern seems to have been attracting a steady stream of headteachers and teaching staff.

Mrs Taylor, 61, said: "When I talk to heads and see the stress and anxiety they are going through- it was bad enough when I was a head.

"I think it is even worse at the moment. There is no light at the end of the tunnel with budget cuts and struggling for money.

"I can't imagine how I would deal with that now.

"The pressure from Ofsted is also much greater.

"We have this fantastic place- I love living here. We need to offer it and actually say to people: 'Come and forget that entire mad world. You are safe here.'"

Mrs Taylor worked as a headteacher in her career and still works occasionally as a School Improvement Partner.

She said: "I was just chatting to a head one day and saying when I was a head it would have been really nice to have a haven where you could go to and wouldn't have to talk about things.

"It is not exclusively for teachers but we do get quite a few teachers. If they want to talk about it, they can."

They only cater for one set of guests at a time and offer a ground floor suite, with a double bedroom, large private bathroom, and a dining / sitting room with log-burning stove.

Mrs Taylor said: "We really feel what we are offering is bit different from a lot of bed and breakfasts. We wanted people to have that privacy."

The couple moved to the house three years ago from Shropshire, but have links to the area as some of Mrs Taylor's family lived at Stockley Hill for 60 years.

They have two children- Stephen, 32 and Catherine, 26. Stephen is marrying Lara White at St Michael's in Michaelchurch Escley in August and the couple are having the reception at Mr and Mrs Taylor's house.

Guests at the bed and breakfast also enjoy both breakfast and dinner cooked by Mrs Taylor, as well as a lunch option.

She said: "We enjoy meeting people and offering them something. I love cooking- meals are quite a feature. It is kind of bringing together lots of different things I have been interested in all my life."

For more details go to www.littletrewern.co.uk