By Meyrick Brown

A fantastic weekend-long celebration of smallholding and rural life attracted crowds in large numbers to the Royal Welsh showground at Builth Wells which offered an action-packed programme of entertainment, have-a-go educational activities, talks, workshops, displays and performances, -with the advantage of free admission for children -offered families the perfect days out.

With over 1,300 livestock and horses on display, hundreds of tradestands, the only Premier Open Dog Show held in Wales, children’s activities, a food and drink quarter, the Royal Welsh Trail Running Festival, vintage machinery, gardening, auction, country leisure and much more, the event had just about something for everyone.

Carmarthen is this year’s featured county with the society and has special significance within the three major events being put on in May, July and August.

Once all the hustle and bustle of the day has died down a little on Saturday, the food and drink quarter burst into life with live music and performers along with an expanded area of street food stalls and producers selling all manner of delicacies and delights -an evening of music and food, what more could you have asked for?

A particular feature of the festival this year was the added attraction that children were admitted free of charge

Speaking as the festival was drawing to its close on Sunday a very happy Kay Spencer, director, said: “We are so thrilled with how much everyone enjoyed the first Royal Welsh event of 2017. The visitors have come out in force, got stuck into all the have-a-go activities and fully embraced the ethos of the event… a celebration of smallholding and rural life.

“You only had to visit the newly expanded music and street food area during the two days to witness hordes of happy people enjoying the taste treats on offer and the buzz of listening to the live bands, to realise the event has been a success.”

“At a time of year when we are enjoying the longer, lighter evenings and the prospect of fine weather, we were able to continue the celebration of rural life into the evening – staying longer is part of the social occasion when we can fully enjoy a spring evening of music and food with friends.”

This year saw the return of the Royal Welsh Trail Running Festival, which attracted over 1,000 runners from across Wales to compete in a series of challenging but scenic trail races, starting and finishing in the showground and taking in the surrounding valleys, fields, woodland tracks and stunning forestry. The successful event, run in conjunction with Run 4 Wales, also incorporated the Welsh Trail Running Championships and Welsh Inter-Regional Trail Running Championships.

Steve Hughson, RWAS chief executive, who ran the 10K, commented: “The Trail Running Festival is a great addition to the Spring Festival and I’m really happy to see that the numbers more than doubled from our inaugural event two years ago. It’s been wonderful to see so many spectators cheering on the runners as they crossed the finish line and joining in with the festival atmosphere.”

Alun Wyn Evans of Penllyn Farm, Tywyn, was announced as the winner of the 2017 NFU Cymru/Principality Building Society Welsh Rural Community Champion Award.

The competition, in its eighth year, recognises the hard work farmers do off the farm to help their community, with the award winner receiving a top prize of a hand-crafted slate clock and £500.

In 2010 Alun won the Wales Nature and Farming Award for his work with the RSPB to save the Lapwing population on his farm, helping to grow the number of pairs from two to 25 at the time of the award.

Championship awards:

Sheep, individual - Dawson and Harmer Wakeham, Lewes, East Sussex, group of three -

Russell Davies, Efailwen, Pembrokeshire.

Cattle - Bernard and Margaret Llewelyn, Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire.

Pigs - T and A Smith, Betws, Newport, Gwent.

Goats, Angora - T Rogers, Rhayader, Powys, Dairy - Nick Parr, Guildford, Surrey, Pygmy - Jill Osborne, Whitson, Newport, Pet Pygmy - Paul Bufton , Llandrindod Wells, Powys, Boer Goat - Ian Johnson, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, Angora Fleece - C and D Tyler, Crymych, Pembrokeshire.