“We are devastated to lose our mother. She was an inspiration to us all, and to many people she met over her years of service to Wales, and the countless organisations and institutions she supported.
“A country girl at heart, she has left an indelible legacy at Glanusk, the wider countryside and beyond,” the statement read.
Life at the Glanusk Estate
Dame Shan inherited the historic Glanusk estate in the Brecon Beacons National Park when she was just five years old, following the death of her father.
Her life and work were later documented in a 2006 BBC Wales series titled The Lady of Ganusk, which followed the then-63-year-old as she managed the estate. The programme showed her tackling hands-on tasks such as climbing onto rooftops to clean gutters and carrying out electrical repairs.
In one episode, her daughter Zara remarked that her mother “can drive a tractor better than any man I’ve ever seen and can reverse it through a narrow gap with a trailer on the back of it.”
In 2015, Dame Shan received her damehood from Queen Elizabeth II. She also served as President of Save the Children in Wales, the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, and the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs.
