Tributes have been paid to a entrepreneur who created one of North Wales' best known holiday and leisure parks on his farm.
The Brookshaw family acquired the Plassey estate near Wrexham in 1960.
They ran it as a dairy and arable farm up until the early 1970s.
But then Tony and wife Della Brookshaw took the decision to develop land into a caravan park and later a golf course and retail centre, while the former milking parlour became a restaurant.
It has become one of the best known holiday parks in the region.
Sadly the family this week announced that Tony Brookshaw had passed away. He was aged 87.
The Brookshaw family said: "It is with deepest sorrow that we announce that Anthony John Brookshaw (Tony) passed away very peacefully on Friday 7th January 2022.
"Words cannot describe the sadness and loss that we are all are feeling, but we wanted to show the huge breadth of life that Tony lived and enjoyed to the full.
Most Read
"Tony was a true entrepreneur and inspiration in equal measure, with a big dollop of good humour and laughter thrown in."
He was born in Shropshire and his love of the outside life and horses brought success as an amateur jockey. He met his future wife, Della and they married in 1960 and moved to The Plassey.
In the early 1970s they started redeveloping and transforming the farm into a touring caravan park, and in the 1980s added a craft and retail centre. This was followed by a golf course, nature trails and fishing ponds, he continued with his "zest for ever more facilities".
The family added: "His love of fun was satisfied with his bar, Treetops, and his former milking parlour was turned into a Restaurant - now the Blk Sheep Baa & Grill.
"Tony was generous with his time in serving as President of Wrexham Lions Club, hosting many charity events at The Plassey, with fun filled dinner-dances and gymkhanas (pony shows) - both were a favourite combination of fun, drinks and friends.
"His love of activities ranged from skiing, golfing, sailing (the mighty Erbistock Raft Races!) to flying his microlight aircraft - all being self-taught. He loved a challenge.
"A typical example of his drive and determination was that upon learning that Della was under strict doctors’ orders to rest whilst expecting their 3rd child, Tony seized the opportunity to build a swimming pool from scratch. No plans required and no stopping him.
Don’t miss
"Tony’s legacy will forever live on with the wonderful memories that he created and The Plassey that serves to bring happiness to the many thousands of people that now visit here.
"Forever in our hearts."
Get business news direct to your inbox
There's no better time to stay up to date with economic and business news from your region. By signing up for our daily newsletters, email breaking news alerts and weekly round-ups from all the major sectors, you get our journalism direct by email. To sign up, find out more and see all of our newsletters, follow the link here