It’s only a matter of days now until the Royal Welsh Showground in Llanelwedd will once again be bustling with activity as visitors are welcomed back to the Smallholding and Countryside Festival.
 
Taking place next weekend, May 21-22, the springtime event is a celebration of rural life and country living with smallholding pursuits at its heart. Tickets are available online - https://rwas.ticketsrv.co.uk/tickets/272  - and are selling fast.
 
The festival is a showcase of the real diversity of the Welsh countryside and a great day out for young families, countryside dwellers and anyone with an interest in the great outdoors.
 
With a packed programme of livestock and equine competitions, displays and activities, live music and food and drink, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
 
The Smallholder’s Centre is the main port of call for those wanting to learn more about the smallholder’s way of life. There will be useful information and talks to get involved in, and the Smallholder Hub, a social area to meet other smallholders, share knowledge and gain advice for those just getting started.
 
Garden expert and TV presenter Charlie Dimmock will present a talk on Wildlife and Water at midday on Saturday, May 21 in the Speakers Corner.

For dog lovers, The Welsh Premier Open Dog Show is held at the festival all weekend, with the opportunity to see thousands of dogs competing for a chance to qualify for Crufts 2023.
 
Visitors can even take their own dogs to the event and see how they get on in the Gower Dog Agility course. The Display Ring will host the Rockwood Dog Display with comedy routines and tricks and Meirion Owen and His Sheepdogs.

There will be plenty to see and get involved in at the Country Life Area, including forestry competitions, demonstrations, rural sports and have-a-go activities. The audience will be able to enjoy listening to live musical performances in the Bandstand and watching the Woodville Medieval Re-enactment Group’s historical displays of medieval life.

For those looking for family fun, get involved in the biking activities and obstacle course. Children can give cycling a go, with helmets and bikes are provided. Also featured in the Country Life Area, The Panic Family Circus returns with circus skill acts, workshops and traditional puppet shows.

The Display Ring will be jam-packed with displays, including showjumping, dog displays, BMX Bikes and The Welsh Festival Parade of Land Rovers.

The Meirionnydd Shearing Centre will this year be branded the Wool Zone to promote the versatility and fabulous creations made with wool The zone will include woolhandling competitions, Gwent Guild of Spinners and Weavers, Coleg Sir Gar exhibition, Meirionnydd Vintage Shearing Display and many wool related trade stands.
 
Tyfu Cymru will once again be taking over the Members Centre for the Tyfu Cymru Growers Market. Growers will have the opportunity to present and sell their products during the two-day event at the prime location.
 
It wouldn’t be a Royal Welsh event without showcasing the best food and drink produce that Wales and the border counties have to offer. Visitors can sample delicious goods in the renowned Food Hall or take a break and grab lunch at the Street Food area.
​
For more information about the event,  visit www.rwas.wales .

The Brecon Beacons National Park has recently launched the first three modules of its new online ambassador course.

The course is designed to give tourism providers a greater insight into the breath-taking landscape of the Brecon Beacons. Three modules are currently available, with more planned to be released in the future. The course is free to access and currently features modules covering an Introduction to the Brecon Beacons, A Sense of Place, and People of the Past.

The courses are designed to deepen knowledge of the landscape and celebrate the beautiful area with pride. It aims to give tourism providers the knowledge to speak about the National Park with confidence.

Carol Williams, Tourism Officer for the National Park, said, “We’re delighted to launch this online course. We manage a group of over 343 ambassadors. They are all passionate about the Park and our scheme allows them to learn even more about our beloved National Park. Now that we have an online course even more people can take part. It isn’t just restricted to tourism providers, either. Anyone with an interest in the Brecon Beacons can get involved.

“Future modules will include lessons on Dark skies, Geopark and Nature of the National Park. We’re keen to help bring people along with us on a journey to a sustainable future for the National Park.”

The ambassador course is free to complete. After passing a short quiz, participants are offered a certificate. Passing three modules will earn a bronze award, six modules will earn a silver and ten will earn a gold.

Kevin Walker, from Mountain Activities, is among the first people to complete the course. He said, “The new online ambassador modules are brilliant! There’s lots of great information in easily digestible chunks, and the quiz at the end of each module really helps to fix the learning, making it so much easier to share the knowledge with visitors and locals! Highly recommended.”
​
To sign up to the course, please visit: https://www.ambassador.wales/

“It’s great to be back” was the comment that best summed up the feelings of exhibitors and visitors after more than 5,000 people flocked to Wonderwool Wales.
 
Following a pandemic-enforced absence of two years, the two-day show that celebrates all that’s great about Welsh wool and natural fibres made a triumphant return to the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells.
 
More than 190 exhibitors packed three halls, with many reporting a virtual sell out of their goods, which ranged from hand dyed yarns and fibre to equipment and quality finished products.
 
Developed to promote the market for Welsh wool and natural fibres, Wonderwool Wales was first held in 2006 and has grown in scale and popularity alongside a knitting, crochet, felting and textile craft making boom.
 
A series of Woolschool workshops was well attended and Sheepwalk fashion shows, where exhibitors showed off their wonderful creations, were packed over the weekend.
 
The wow factor was supplied by a special, eight-metre long exhibition entitled Alice in Wonderwool. The eye-catching, hand crafted interpretation of Alice in Wonderland installation featured an array of captivating characters, all crafted from felt and fibre.
 
Show regulars, Alex Johnstone and Kathy Smart, joined forces with felting and fibre art friends, including prolific knitter and crochet enthusiast Terry Moncion, to recreate Alice’s dreamland journey and her marvellously wacky tea party. Janna Turner from Flock2Felts was project lead and felting advisor.
 
The installation was originally made for Wonderwool Wales in 2020, which was postponed due to the pandemic. Alex, Kathy and Janna used the lockdowns to add extra features to the exhibition which was assembled for the first time at this year’s show and what an impression it made.
 
“We have been working on Alice in Wonderwool on and off for three years and it’s lovely to see the smiling faces of people when they see it,” said Kathy. “They come up and say ‘Wow’. That makes it all worthwhile.”
 
Janna added: “It’s a first time an installation of this size and type has been delivered and we are all very proud of it. We have been invited to other craft exhibitions and clubs, but nothing has been confirmed yet.”
 
Alex said: “It was quite emotional and overwhelming when we assembled it for the first time.”
 
The exhibition and various other fundraising ventures at the show raised £706 for the Wales Air Ambulance and £1,000 for NGO Molotok, a Ukrainian project established 13 years ago by Nataliya Cummings near the border with Belarus, to support young people from disadvantaged rural communities.
 
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the project has become a shelter for more than 100 young people and families fleeing the war.
 
Nataliya, who now runs Experience Ukraine & Beyond based in Pontrilas, near Hereford, had a stand at the show selling posters and bags printed with the Ukrainian flag for NGO Molotok. She also donated 20% of her profits from hand-spun and handwoven wool rugs and Ukrainian textiles which she sells.
 
“The response from people has been brilliant,” said Nataliya. “They are donating money, talking to me about Ukraine and supporting in any way they can
 
“It is wonderful to be raising money for this project that I founded and people are really supportive. I set up a JustGiving page and raised £65,000 in the first week which was overwhelming.”
 
Another feature of the show was a special exhibition of work created by textiles students and graduates at Coleg Sir Gâr’s Carmarthen School of Art throughout the pandemic.
 
This exhibition gave visitors an insight into their design process as well as beautiful textile outcomes in knit, weave and mixed media. “People have loved finding out how the exhibits were made,” said Lindsay Williams from the college.
 
For those seeking creative inspiration, there were demonstrations and have-a-go sessions hosted by exhibitors.
 
The continuing impact of Covid-19 variants caused the late withdrawal of some exhibitors, as newcomers accounted for about a third of the stands at the show, which was supported by the Wales Cultural Recovery Fund.
 
The show is organised by an industrious group of five people, including three directors. The main organiser Chrissie Menzies, said: “!t was lovely to be back to some kind of normality.
 
“We had some amazing feedback from exhibitors and visitors, including an American tour group. They absolutely loved Wonderwool Wales, saying it was the best wool show they had ever been to and they would like to come again. Everything went really well.”
 
It was first time at the show for Hayley and Nick Dunn from Ducky Darlings, Hognaston, who make hand-dyed yarns inspired by the Derbyshire Dales. “This show puts others to shame,” said Nick. “Everybody is commenting on how good it is. Customers have time and want to listen to what you have to say. We have loved the show.”
 
Chrissie Crook, from Woolyknit at Diggle, Saddleworth, who sell Warth Mill yarn and 100% wool socks, said: “The show is fabulous, so well organised. We have been really busy and, like many exhibitors I have spoken to, we have nearly sold out.”

Film fans will get to enjoy award-winning gins from maverick distillery In The Welsh Wind at an interactive film night at this year’s Carmarthen Bay Film Festival.
 
In The Welsh Wind is the ‘official gin’ of the four-day film festival which is being held at Llanelli’s Ffwrnes Theatre from May 16-19.
 
The interactive film night is on Tuesday, May 17 where filmgoers in the theatre and online viewers will be able to decide the twists and turns of the interactive films shown.
 
As part of the evening’s plot, In The Welsh Wind will be at the theatre offering gin tasting from its range of award-winning spirits.
 
The company, which is based near Cardigan, is also sponsoring the prestigious feature film category, which will be presented by distillery co-founder and director Ellen Wakelam at the awards dinner on May 19. It is the first time the distillery has supported the festival.
 
Ellen said: “Gin has a great history with the movies. Whether it’s James Bond’s dry Martinis, Marilyn Monroe drinking Manhattans in Some Like it Hot or Humphrey Bogart’s classic line in Casablanca ‘Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine’.
 
“With such a strong link, sponsoring the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival and bringing gin to the movies seems the perfect partnership.
 
“We’re looking forward to being involved in the interactive film night, which sounds like a really fun and interesting night, and of course being at the awards. We’d like to wish everyone involved in the festival and all of the filmmakers all the best for a successful event.”
 
Kelvin Guy, the festival’s chief executive, said: “The Carmarthen Bay Film Festival is very proud of its Welsh roots, so we’re delighted to be able to work with and support local Welsh brands and encourage their involvement in the festival and film making here in Wales.
 
“We’re excited to be working with In the Welsh Wind and look forward to strengthening our ongoing collaboration this year and into the future.”

Recognised as Wales’ premier film festival, it is a BAFTA Short Film and BAFTA Cymru qualifying film festival and now receives more than 1,000 submissions from filmmakers across the world.
 
Image caption:
 
Carmarthen Bay Film Festival chief executive Kelvin Guy and In the Welsh Wind Distillery owner and director Ellen Wakelam discuss nominations.

A special event is to be held in the Senedd on May 12 to honour the contribution of late Welsh journalist Gareth Jones who reported on the genocidal Great Famine in Ukraine, mid-1930s tensions in Europe and the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany.
 
Jones’ exposé on the Holodomor in Ukraine, which was made deadlier by a series of political decrees and decisions, was based on his own eyewitness testimony after travelling in the region. He revealed the scale and horror of the Holodomor to an international audience.
 
Th Senedd event, organised by the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, is being held to honour the contribution made by Jones to journalism and international affairs. It will also celebrate the conclusion of the digitisation of much of his archive held at the National Library.
 
Key to completing this digitisation project was generous financial support provided by the Ukrainian National Women's League of America, Temerty Foundation, the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Foundation, the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium (HREC) and Russ and Karen Chelak.
 
Jones was a gifted researcher, journalist and author who was murdered by supposed Chinese ‘bandits’ in Inner Mongolia in August 1935, on the eve of his 30th birthday. A selection of his papers is now digitised and can be viewed at https://www.library.wales/garethvaughanjones

Following the murder, former British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, for whom Jones previously worked as Jones Private Secretary for Foreign Affairs, told the London Evening Standard: “That part of the world is a cauldron of conflicting intrigue and one or other interests concerned probably knew that Mr Gareth Jones knew too much of what was going on.

“He had a passion for finding out what was happening in foreign lands wherever there was trouble, and in pursuit of his investigations he shrank from no risk...  I had always been afraid that he would take one risk too many.  

“Nothing escaped his observation, and he allowed no obstacle to turn from his course when he thought that there was some fact, which he could obtain.  He had the almost unfailing knack of getting at things that mattered.”

Pedr ap Llwyd, the library’s chief executive and librarian, said: "I am very grateful for the financial support we received to digitise Gareth's archive as part of the library's digitisation strategy.

“It is an extremely important archive and can now be shared with historians and researchers across the world. We also owe a great debt to Gareth's family for depositing the papers with us in the library."

Lubomyr Luciuk, Professor of Political Geography at the Royal Military College of Canada, added: “Gareth Jones paid with his life for being a truth-teller, one of the first journalists to break the story about the genocidal Great Famine of 1932-1933 in Soviet Ukraine, the Holodomor. 

“This brave Welshman's commitment to reporting on the horrors of what was happening, even as the Soviets, their fellow travellers and even Western governments covered up the truth, needs to be remembered and hallowed, particularly at a time when Ukraine is again a victim of war, invasion and the genocidal agenda of Vladimir Putin and his KGB confederates."

Oksana Lodziuk Krywulych, officer-at-large of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA), said: "The UNWLA is honoured to be a sponsor of the digitisation of Gareth Jones’ diaries. 

“The UNWLA remains steadfast in its commitment to be a vehicle of awareness and education about the Ukrainian genocide, known as the Holodomor. The Ukrainian nation owes a debt of gratitude to Gareth Jones, a great man who was not afraid to accurately report on the horrors of the Holodomor. 

“He deserves to be honoured and remembered for documenting the truth when it was denied by many in the west. His reporting is especially telling today as Ukraine is once again suffering a genocide at the hands of the same perpetrator, while the world watches in real time."

Sponsored by Mick Antoniw MS, the event will include presentations by Professor Lubomyr Luciuk and journalist Martin Shipton, together with readings of extracts from Jones’ diaries and letters by Julian Lewis Jones.

A vibrant Spring Fair held on the green in front of Oriel Davies Gallery in Newtown at the weekend has been declared a big success.
 
The event, part of a partnership project between Oriel Davies and Open Newtown, invited local musicians, artists, storytellers and organisations to share the space and celebrate the coming of spring.
 
Stuart Owen, from Open Newtown, said “the field was filled with positivity”.
 
The event was attended by all ages, an opportunity for families in the community to enjoy the last weekend of the Easter holidays in the sunshine. All were welcomed and encouraged to engage with their green spaces and learn about local artists, upcoming projects and to try something new.
 
Around 400 people visited the Spring Fair throughout the afternoon. Music was provided by Creative Stuff Newtown and the DJ Club, local woodwind band Ffonic and community singing group Hafren Choir.
 
Local community groups and organisations brought stalls and activities, including Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust, North Powys Wellbeing, Cultivate, Newtown Gardening Club, local plant growers Nic Knapton and Ash and Elm Horticulture, along with Open Newtown.
 
Alongside music and stalls, artists Chris Wallbank, Sadia Pineda, Layla Robinson and storytellers Jo Vagabondi and Milly Jackdaw brought an array of workshops to get involved with.
 
There were also spring animals from Pentre Farm and hot drinks from the Cambrian Coffee van, which proved popular all afternoon.
 
“What an amazing turn out for this first event of the project for Open Events, there was a festival spirit in the air,” said Kate Morgan-Clare, Oriel Davies’ creative producer.
 
“Thanks to all those who ran stalls and workshops and brought music to the event and a special thank you to our visitors who made the sunny afternoon such a happy, relaxed and positive occasion.”
 
Keep a look out for news of more upcoming events, including a Ska & Reggae Disco Picnic this weekend, Newtown’s Outdoor Festival in June, Rinky Dink Disco in July and a similar autumn event.
 
The Open Events project is supported by the Welsh Government’s Enabling Natural Resources and Well-being (ENRaW) Scheme. ENRaW supports the development and delivery of projects that make clear links between improving the resilience of our natural resources and well-being.
 
Funding is provided through the Welsh Government Rural Communities - Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government until June 2023.
 
Picture caption: 
 
The crowd gathered outside the Oriel Davies Gallery at the weekend.

More than 100 of the world’s top riders will race through the heart of Mid Wales this summer as The Women’s Tour visits Welshpool for the first time.
 
Stage four of the UCI Women’s WorldTour event will see the riders race from Wrexham and Welshpool on Thursday, June 9.
 
Spectators can watch all the action by the roadside for free and highlights of the race will be shown on ITV4 in the UK, and around the world via Eurosport and GCN.
 
Stage five, on June 10, will see the riders race from Pembrey Country Park for a gruelling uphill finish at Black Mountain in the Brecon Beacons.
 
Thanks to in principle support from the Welsh Government, who have backed stages of the race in 2018 and 2019, both Wrexham and Welshpool will feature in the UK’s most prestigious women’s race for the first time.
 
Stage four starts from the heart of Wrexham before entering Powys at Rhydycroesau. The 148-kilometre route will take in Llansilin and Penybontfawr before an unforgettable, anti-clockwise loop of Lake Vyrnwy near Llanwddyn.
 
It then winds its way towards the finish line in Broad Street, Welshpool, via Llanfihangel, Dolanog, Castle Caereinion, Berriew, Montgomery, Forden and Leighton.
Powys has once before hosted a stage finish of the Women’s Tour - at Builth Wells in 2019 – while the men’s Tour of Britain has visited the county six times between 2010-‘16.
 
Dr Caroline Turner, Powys County Council’s chief executive, said: “The return of the Women’s Tour of Britain is wonderful news for the county. The event provides Powys with a fantastic opportunity to showcase the county with a national and international television audience.
 
“The stage will provide a much-needed financial boost to the local economy and we hope that residents and visitors get out and support the race.”
 
Councillor Alison Davies, Mayor of Welshpool, added: “This an exciting boost for the town. It will be a great opportunity for the people of Welshpool to welcome International and National athletes and many visitors to the town.
 
“It is exciting for us to be given the opportunity to be involved in this national event and a welcome boost for the Welshpool economy following two very difficult years.
 
“The organisers, competitors and followers of this event can be assured of a very warm welcome in Welshpool.”
 
Next day, the riders will face another stern Welsh test, this time in Carmarthenshire, which has become a regular feature on the routes of the men’s Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour since 2018.
 
Riders will roll out from sea level at Pembrey Country Park, before heading north to Llandovery via Pontyberem, Nantgaredig and Brechfa. Stage five features 2,065m of elevation gain, the most of any stage in this year’s race, finishing atop Black Mountain in the Brecon Beacons National Park.
 
Mick Bennett, Women’s Tour race director, said: “The Welsh stages in this year’s Women’s Tour are going to play a key role in determining our next champion.
 
“Both will offer a true test for the world’s best riders, with the thrilling racing set to be played out in front of some of the most spectacular scenery the United Kingdom has to offer. We thank all our stakeholders, including the Welsh Government, for their continued support of the Women’s Tour.”
 
The Women’s Tour will feature all 14 of the top division UCI Women’s WorldTeams, with 18 teams and 108 riders competing in the race, marking the biggest field in the eight-year history of the race.

​Picture caption:
 
The Women’s Tour peloton on the event’s previous visit to Powys in 2019.
Image: SWpix.
 
The stage four route through Mid Wales.

Wonderwool Wales 2022, the two-day show that celebrates all that’s great about Welsh wool and natural fibres, makes a welcome return this weekend following a two-year, pandemic enforced absence.
 
The organisers are delighted with the enthusiastic response to their 16th show at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells on Saturday and Sunday.
 
Such is the demand that Saturday is nearing a sell out with around 3,000 tickets already sold, but there are tickets available for Sunday either online at www.wonderwoolwales.co.uk or at the gate. Tickets cost £12 per day.
 
“We are delighted with ticket sales and the general response to this year’s show,” said Wonderwool Wales director Chrissie Menzies. “A lot of people have been talking on social media about the show and we are expecting to sell a lot of tickets at the gate over the weekend.”
 
The pandemic continues to have an impact, however, with four exhibitors having to withdraw this week, having been struck down by Covid-19. There will be around 190 exhibitors this year.
 
“We have probably lost around a third of our usual exhibitors for a variety of reasons, including the impact of the pandemic. However, the good news is we’ve attracted a lot of new exhibitors, so it promises to be an exciting show,” added Chrissie.
 
A feature of this year’s show, which has been supported by the Wales Cultural Recovery Fund, are two special exhibitions in Hall 3. Visitors will have the chance to see work created by Coleg Sir Gâr’s Carmarthen School of Art textiles students and graduates throughout the pandemic and a zany, hand crafted interpretation of Alice in Wonderland.
 
Supported by Carmarthen School of Art throughout the pandemic, students kept working on their briefs at home to create exciting and challenging work. Visitors will get an insight into their design process as well as beautiful textile outcomes in knit, weave and mixed media.
 
The massive, specially-created ‘Alice in Wonderwool’ installation features an array of captivating characters, all crafted from felt and fibre. This exhibition will be raising money for this year’s Wonderwool charities - the Wales Air Ambulance and NGO Molotok Ukraine.
 
Show regulars, Alex Johnstone and Kathy Smart, joined forces with felting and fibre art friends, including prolific knitter and crochet enthusiast Terry Moncion, to recreate Alice’s dreamland journey and her marvellously wacky tea party. Janna Turner from Flock2Felts was project lead and felting advisor.
 
Halls on the showground will be filled with beautiful, hand dyed yarns and fibre, along with equipment and quality finished products, giving visitors an opportunity to stock up on supplies.
 
Airedale Yarns will be displaying Barra yarn, a strong blend of wool and nylon for weavers, luxurious silks which are ideal for hand and machine embroidery, delicate weaving, lace, tassels and braids and Axminster yarn, perfect for weavers and rugmakers.
 
For those seeking creative inspiration, there will be demonstrations and have-a-go sessions hosted by various exhibitors including needlefelting make and takes with Mum’s Makery and The Makerss.
 
Ever-popular Woolschool workshops will be held on both days, with topics carefully chosen to appeal to a wide range of interests and levels of ability.
 
Developed to promote the market for Welsh wool and natural fibres, Wonderwool Wales was first held in 2006 and has grown in scale and popularity alongside a knitting, crochet, felting and textile craft making boom.
 
To find out more about the 2022 show, visit www.wonderwoolwales.co.uk, like Wonderwool Wales Ltd on Facebook or follow on Twitter @wonderwoolwales
 
Picture captions:
 
The Cheshire Cat, a character from the Alice in Wonderwool exhibition.
 
Teeswater sheep at a previous Wonderwool Wales.
Image by John Teale Photography.
​

​​The National Library of Wales is to host the Wales and the Battle of Britain Touring Exhibition to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
 
A special event will take place tomorrow (April 20) when Pedr ap Llwyd, chief executive and librarian and Air Commodore Adrian Williams, Air Officer Wales, will open the exhibition in the company of Lord-Lieutenant of Dyfed, Miss Sara Edwards and Second World War veterans.
 
The exhibition, which will be open free of charge until May 11, has been created by Dr Lynsey Shaw, from the RAF’s Air Historical Branch, together with Air Commodore Williams and his team.
 
Due to the pandemic, the exhibition has been delayed until 82nd anniversary year of the Battle of Britain. Comprising a series of prepared panels of photos and text, the exhibition tells this important story for the first time.
 
Mr ap Llwyd said: “I’m pleased to welcome the exhibition to the library, which will remind our readers and visitors of the extreme violence, aggression and destruction of war, both in terms of human, cultural and material loss.
 
“It will also remind us of the bravery and sacrifices of those who defended our shores in the Battle of Britain against the most reviled individual and ideology in human history.”
 
Air Commodore Williams added: “The Battle of Britain, the largest air battle ever recorded, was one of the most pivotal and iconic moments in the history of this country. It marked a turning point of the Second World War when Britain stood alone against Hitler’s seemingly unstoppable military power. 
 
“The exhibition tells a story that will enable Welsh people of all ages to come along and find out more about what happened in the skies and on the ground during wartime.
 
“It exceptionally details the Welsh aircrew who fought, telling their stories and heroism to a modern Welsh audience. 
 
“By visiting the exhibition, individuals will also have the opportunity to pay their respects to the Welsh fallen and to those who eventually returned home to their loved ones and to celebrate the many different ways Welsh people and their communities’ contributed to the war effort during the Battle of Britain.”
 
Harvey Jones, Age Cymru Dyfed chair, said the organisation is delighted to be helping to co-ordinate the exhibition at the national library whilst also supporting older veterans throughout Dyfed and the unique West Wales Veterans Archive (WWVA) housed on the People’s Collection Wales (PCW) website.
 
“In recent years, it has been our absolute honour to meet, support and build up friendships with many who served during WW2 and who have contributed so much to our freedom since then,” he added.
 
Squadron Leader John Dunn is taking the exhibition around the country to all 22 of the single-tier principal areas of Wales. He said the response has been overwhelming.
 
“I have a very busy schedule over the next few months until we finish the tour in Cardiff in October,” he added. “I am particularly pleased that the exhibition is coming to the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. It is an excellent location to showcase the Battle of Britain from a Welsh perspective.”
 
The PCW has supported the WWVA by providing core services which help this and other similar projects to achieve their various objectives.
 
PCW was offers free training opportunities to WWVA staff and volunteers, outlining an established format for community archiving projects and offering a framework for collecting, digitising and publishing community content.
 
Despite pandemic restrictions on community engagement, the WWVA has continued to establish an incredible archive of material on the PCW website - https://www.peoplescollection.wales/users/44171 - with dozens of veterans' stories being celebrated and shared with a wider audience.
 
Picture caption:
 
National Library of Wales.

Matthew Hirst and Declan Dear recorded a sensational victory at Saturday’s Rallynuts Stages Rally as the pairing stormed to an impressive four fastest times from six stages in their Ford Fiesta R5 in Mid Wales.

The pairing, fresh from a win at Rally North Wales just a fortnight ago, returned a scintillating performance, opening a whopping 15 second lead on the initial Myherin stage and were never headed, taking arguably their most important win to date.

Last year’s Rallynuts winners Elliot Payne and Patrick Walsh were their nearest challengers, taking second overall in their Ford Fiesta Rally2, whilst Dylan Davies and Mark Glennerster rounded out the podium in third behind the wheel of a Skoda Fabia R5.

Forty-four miles of some of the finest stages in Wales were on offer to a bumper entry list of over 140 crews who headed for the Builth Wells based event.
 
Six stages in the classic Myherin, Sweet Lamb/Hafren and Sarnau forests ensured a suitable challenge for the impressive line-up, with contenders from a wide range of championships including the MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series and Motorsport UK Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship.

Myherin was up first, with over 10 miles of fast, flowing forest and moorland gravel in store. Malcolm Wilson Rally winners and number one seeds, Stephen Petch and Michael Wilkinson were the first victims of the day after being dragged into a ditch on the opener, losing over 10 minutes in the process. They completed two more tests before calling it a day.

But Hirst showed his hand early, setting a time 15 seconds faster than any other crew to leave his rivals trailing in his wake. Payne drew level with Ian Bainbridge and Tom Woodburn in their Skoda Fabia R5 but both crews were well aware that the margin to Hirst would be tough to close.

On the Hafren Sweet Lamb test, Hirst extended his lead to 20 seconds and although Bainbridge set the benchmark in the third, it would only be by one second.

Heading into the mid-point service, Bainbridge had crept into second spot ahead of Payne but was now 23 seconds adrift of the leaders. The repeat run of the opening stage saw Payne just two seconds behind Hirst as the clocks stopped. But Hirst added an extra second to his lead on the next test.
 
Just the final four-mile Cwmysgawen stage remained, and Hirst continued to keep his cool. Perry Gardener and Jack Bowen showed signs of getting familiar with their Fiesta R5, taking an impressive equal stage win with Hirst but the last test also saw Bainbridge fall from the podium as an impact with a rock slowed his Skoda by well over a minute.
 
Hirst’s victory gave him maximum BTRDA and Welsh championship points.

“I still can’t believe our stage one time,” Hirst at the finish podium. “I`m not really sure why we were so fast, or indeed why the others were so steady.
 
“We have been rallying for about five years and to take that time on the first stage of a BTRDA round and to come away with a win against such stiff competition is a lovely feeling, it’s so gratifying.”

Gardener netted fourth whilst Russ Thompson and Steve Link hauled their Mitsubishi Evo IX to a superb fifth overall against the nimbler R5 machinery around them. Bainbridge held on to sixth whilst Tom Llewellin and Ross Whittock took seventh in their Mitsubishi Mirage R5.
 
Richard Hill and Patrick Cooper were eighth in their Mitsubishi Evo whilst James Giddings and Aled Davies finished ninth in their similar machine. Charles Payne and Carl Williamson rounded out the top 10 in their Fiesta Rally2.

The battle for the two-wheel-drive honours was also an impressive one as three-time British Rally Champion Matt Edwards went head to head with teammate Nick Elliott in a pair of FIAT 131 Abarths.

It was nip and tuck during the morning loop, but Edwards and co-driver Hamish Campbell ironed out some braking issues to take 12th spot in the historic spec machine. Elliott and Peredur Davies netted 18th.

Full results can be found at www.rallynutsrally.co.uk .
 
Picture caption:
 
Main: Mathew Hirst and Declan Dear storm to victory.
Image credit: 569 Motorsport Media.