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A hen hotelier says watching herself pitch her business on Dragons’ Den was a “surreal experience”.
Katriona Shovlin sat down with six-year-old son, Fred, and her chicken, Marmalade, to see herself appear on the first episode of the new series of the hit TV show.
The 32-year-old bid for a £40,000 investment for 20% of her all-inclusive hotel franchise, called Hen Weekend, during her pun-filled pitch.
Contestants go on the show not only to attract financial investment but for the chance to partner up with business leaders and learn from their expert guidance.
The poultry who come to board with her get all-you-can-eat food, classical music on repeat, soft bedding, and an afternoon treat of corn in the garden of her Upchurch home, between Medway and Sittingbourne.
The mum-of-one’s service has become so popular that she is fully booked until 2026 despite her increasing capacity to 30 birds by buying a second hotel.
Dragons Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Sara Davies, Steven Bartlett and Touker Suleyman all listened to her two-hour pitch, which was edited to around five minutes of TV time.
Social media fitness coach Joe Wicks, who became known for keeping the nation fit during the pandemic, was also there as a guest on the panel.
However, all the judges turned down the chance to invest including Katriona’s favourite Dragon, Deborah, who - as an animal lover - was the most interested.
Deborah said: “While my heart loves this, it's not an investable business because it has a very low level of income.”
But Katriona told KentOnline she was “not disappointed” and is proud of herself for plucking up the courage to take on what she described as a “daunting challenge”.
She said: “Some people have messaged me saying they are sorry that I did not get the investment but I am really happy that I got the hens on national TV.
“While the Dragons didn’t invest they were all so lovely, although I was terrified going up in the lift and delivering the pitch.”
Katriona watched the episode with her son and Marmalade the chicken, which she said was a “surreal experience”.
She added: “It was so weird and very strange to see but also interesting to see how they had cut it.
“My pitch was around two hours but was cut down to just a few minutes.
“You don’t know what they are going to put out and I thought what went in the show was really nice.
“I think that my passion for hens and the message I wanted to get out came across.
“My son Fred was asking questions throughout the show and was like ‘wow, mum’s on TV’. He looked really proud of me.”
The episode aired on BCC One at 8pm on January 9 and is available on BBC iPlayer.
The bird enthusiast started the business in October 2023 after noticing a gap in the market for temporary accommodation for chickens when she was looking for somewhere to board her own birds, which numbered eight at the time.
She gave KentOnline a tour of her day-to-day operation a month later.
The animals in her care receive food, bedding and an afternoon treat of corn.
There are also automatic sliding doors from the hen houses into the chicken run so the birds can come and go as they please, and they are serenaded by classical music at all times.