Antur Waunfawr opened in 1984 and I began here less than a year later. I was just walking down the high street when I happened to bump into Gwynn Davies, whose idea it was to start this company. He suggested I apply for a part-time job as an admin assistant - and I'm still here!

Gwynn always felt that everyone, whatever their ability, should have the right to work and be accepted as a member of society. He had a disabled child himself and saw that there was nowhere for them to go after they left Pendalar specialist school, except to a training centre. His dream was to give his child, and others, the opportunity to do a day's work like everyone else.

He held a meeting in Waunfawr and 200 local people came to ask questions of him and representatives from the Welsh Office. By the end many had paid a pound to become share-holders in the charitable company, and formed a committee to run it.

We started off in an old cottage which needed a lot of work doing to it; there was a tree growing in the middle of it, and my office had a soil floor! So everyone got stuck in, painting, climbing ladders and plastering the ceiling; we couldn't let our workers do that today because of health and safety rules.

We went on to buy Gwynn's family shop and the land round it, and that's where we are today. We've just re-launched it as how the shop would have been when Gwynn's family ran it. He had so many old things - account books, old bills and an old wooden ruler to measure merchandise. We're going to create a workshop here to make cards, jams and chutneys.

We also have a contract with the county council to maintain the gardens and nature reserve in Waunfawr and some of our other workers work in our café, serving, making cakes, washing up.

We've also branched out to the Cibyn industrial estate in Caernarfon. We've got the Werws Werdd, where we do up and sell old furniture, and Caergylchi, where we sort plastic for recycling. Our workers also go round local offices collecting paper to re-use or shred.

The people who work for us don't come here to be looked after, but to work. Because of their disabilities, we need to assess who can do what, but everyone's got to contribute to the best of their ability.

It's also important that they get to choose what they want to do. One young man wanted to work at Morrison's, so, with help from one-to-one support, we arranged it.

Antur also runs residential homes for people with learning difficulties where they're helped to be independent, as well as supporting others in the community.

Our workers don't get paid a wage, so any benefits they may be entitled to aren't harmed, but they do get paid therapeutic earnings. Friday's pay-day, and it's a very important time here.

For me, the best thing about Antur Waunfawr is seeing our workers grow in confidence. Many have been here for years, and I've seem them arrive as shy children and grow to be confident adults who participate in society.

We were one of the first places of our kind to open in Britain, if not the world. People have come from everywhere over the years to see how we work and now there are lots of places like this, which is great.

Things have changed, of course. Health and safety rules can be a bit of a pain, but you've got to set that aside and carry on for the good of the company, because it really is a great place to work. By Heulwen Huws