​Exhibitors and visitors were united in describing the weekend’s successful Wonderwool Wales 2024 as one of the best ever shows.

The award-winning two-day event,  which celebrates all that’s great about Welsh wool and natural fibres, attracted around 6,000 visitors, with the bulk attending on a bumper Saturday

Held at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells, the show exceeded 4,000 advance online ticket sales and there were a lot of tickets sold at the gate over the weekend. 

Overseas visitors travelled from as far away to Australia, America and Canada, including a party of 18 booked with Rowan Tree Travel.

“We probably had our best ever single day attendance on Saturday and everyone, exhibitors and visitors alike, loved the show,” said Chrissie Menzies, Wonderwool Wales director. “The feedback was very positive.

“There were some really interesting new stands, selling lovely things and exhibitors had made a big effort. The show ran very smoothly thanks to the 30 plus stewards who worked so well together over the weekend. We really appreciate their efforts.”
​

​​Wonderwool Wales had around 220 exhibitors, including 40 newcomers, and costs around £120,000 to stage. New exhibitors are Gary Jones Ceramics from Leintwardine, Phoenix Pottery from Conwy, the Museum of Welsh Textiles, Knighton and the Indian Block Print Company from Bicester.

Another newcomer was Glamorgan Smallholders’ Great Glamorgan Sock Project, which involves members making a pair of socks from each sheep breed in the county.
It was ceramic sculptor Garry Jones’ first Wonderwool Wales and he pledged to return after receiving so much positive feedback from visitors. “I don’t think I have been to a show where I have received so many compliments,” he said on Monday. “I came away from the show so happy.

“I have more than covered my costs and the telephone has been ringing and emails pinging this morning. Around 95 per cent of the people I spoke to were creatives who appreciated the time and skill that goes in to my work. The show had a wonderful feeling about it.”

Many of the American visitors made a beeline for regular exhibitor Erica Downs from Debonnaire Yarns in Rutland, who is originally a New Yorker. “I love Wonderwool Wales because the energy here is always really good,” she said.

“The show attracts people from all around the world and I have been exhibiting here for so long that I have people coming back to see me every year. It’s an incredibly well organised event.”  

Siobhan Beaudin, owner of Siobhans Crafts, Warrington, was another happy exhibitor. "It was a great show, the atmosphere was amazing and the customers were all so friendly and chatty. It’s such a well organised show and we loved our time vending there."

One of the most popular exhibitors this year was ‘Flock2Flight’, an engaging display of felted birds created by fibre artist Janna Turner and two friends, Alex Johnstone and Deborah Taylor Dyer.

Both Shepton Mallet based Janna, who runs Flocks2Felts, and Alex were no strangers to Wonderwool Wales. Janna was project lead and felting advisor and Alex contributed to an eye-catching Alice in Wonderwool exhibition in 2022.

This year’s display featured colourful birds which included mechanics to make them fly. There were a small flock of swallows flew in circles, a zipwire peregrine falcon, a mechanical pelican, a flying flamingo and phoenix, owls, bird marionettes and hand puppets.

Money donated at the display and around the overall show will be donated to the Wales Air Ambulance and Ukrainian charity NGO Molotok, Wonderwool Wales’ adopted charities.

“We had a lot of positive feedback to the display,” said Janna. “We were very busy on Saturday and it was lovely to see people walking past and then stop in their tracks when they saw the birds. The fact that we allowed people to interact with the display was a key point.”

This year’s event saw nine Woolschool afternoon workshops each day, giving visitors the chance to learn or perfect their skills with help from an expert.

Another popular feature, the Sheep Walk fashion show, kept the audience entertained on both days. Visitors were encouraged to knit, crochet or make and wear their own beanie or hat to add colour to the event, with one of the Wonderwool stewards awarding vouchers to the best hats on both days.

Wonderwool Wales 2023 Bursary winners Jade Carey Holt, from Aberystwyth and Kay-lee Davies, from Capel Dewi, near Llandysul, exhibited their work and were delighted to return to the show, which originally inspired them.

Wonderwool Wales was first held in 2006 to promote the market for Welsh wool and to add value to products made by small wool and fibre producers in Wales.
The show celebrates the green credentials of Welsh wool and its versatility as a material for creative crafts, designer clothes, home furnishings and more. 
​
Wonderwool Wales covers everything from the start to the end of the creative process. Exhibits of sheep, raw and hand dyed fibres, yarn for knitting and crochet, embellishments, equipment, dyes and books can be found alongside superb examples of finished textile art, craft, clothing and home furnishings.

Wonderwool Wales, the award-winning show that celebrates all that’s great about Welsh wool and natural fibres, is on target go achieve 6,000 visitors this coming weekend.
 
The event, which is being held at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells on Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28, exceeded 4,000 online ticket sales at https://wonderwoolwales.ticketsrv.co.uk last week and the organisers expect more to be sold in the coming days, as well as at the gate.
 
Overseas visitors will be travelling from as far away to Australia, America and Canada, including a party of 18 booked with Rowan Tree Travel.
 
Tickets cost £12 per day or £22 for the weekend and young people aged under 16 years get in free.
 
“Online ticket sales are ahead of where they normally are and we could well have 6,000 visitors this year, “ said Wonderwool Wales director Chrissie Menzies. “We are delighted that the event is becoming ever more popular because it costs around £120,000 to stage and any surplus is reinvested.”
 
The show will have around 220 exhibitors, including around 40 newcomers this year. Some of the new exhibitors are Gary Jones Ceramics from Leintwardine, Phoenix Pottery from Conwy, the Museum of Welsh Textiles, Knighton and the Indian Block Print Company from Bicester.
 
Another newcomer is Glamorgan Smallholders’ Great Glamorgan Sock Project, which involves members making a pair of socks from each sheep breed in the county.
 
Certain to attract a lot of interest will be ‘Flock2Flight’, an engaging display of felted birds which measures 10 metres by three metres. It’s the creation of fibre artist Janna Turner and two friends, Alex Johnstone and Deborah Taylor Dyer.
 
Both Shepton Mallet based Janna, who runs Flocks2Felts, and Alex are no strangers to Wonderwool Wales. Janna was project lead and felting advisor to a special, eight-metre long exhibition entitled Alice in Wonderwool in 2022.
 
This year, Janna is featuring colourful birds in the display, some of which include wooden mechanics to make them fly. For example, there’s a small flock of swallows that fly in circles, a zipwire bird, a diving kingfisher, bird marionettes and hand puppets.
 
“When we did the Alice in Wonderwool display in 2022, people were not allowed to touch the exhibits,” said Janna. “This time, I will be encouraging people to engage with the birds and have a play as they walk around. I just love seeing their reactions. There are also hand puppets for people to take selfies with.”
 
Money raised by the display will be donated to the Wales Air Ambulance and Ukrainian charity NGO Molotok, Wonderwool Wales’ adopted charities.
 
This year’s event will see nine Woolschool afternoon workshops each day, with only a limited number of spaces left. The Woolschools, which give visitors the chance to learn or perfect their skills with help from an expert, can be booked online at the Wonderwool Wales website.
 
Another popular feature, the Sheep Walk fashion show, will keep the audience entertained on both days.
 
This year, all visitors are being encouraged to knit, crochet or make and wear their own beanie or hat to add colour to the event. Stewards will be awarding vouchers to the best hats on both days.
 
Wonderwool Wales 2023 Bursary winners Jade Carey Holt, from Aberystwyth and Kay-lee Davies, from Capel Dewi, near Llandysul, will be exhibiting their work on stand C1.
To tantalise the tastebuds, new street food caterers join the popular regulars to provide a wider menu for show visitors.
 
Wonderwool Wales was first held in 2006 to promote the market for Welsh wool and to add value to products made by small wool and fibre producers in Wales.
The show celebrates the green credentials of Welsh wool and its versatility as a material for creative crafts, designer clothes, home furnishings and more.
​
Wonderwool Wales covers everything from the start to the end of the creative process. Exhibits of sheep, raw and hand dyed fibres, yarn for knitting and crochet, embellishments, equipment, dyes and books can be found alongside superb examples of finished textile art, craft, clothing and home furnishings.

Find out more about the 2024 show at www.wonderwoolwales.co.uk , like Wonderwool Wales Ltd on Facebook or follow on Twitter @wonderwoolwales

​Visitors to the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways (FfWHR) are now able to take their very own bilingual mobile phone app guide on their train journey.
 
The FfWHR Explore App has been created as part of the Railway’s Interpretation and Boston Lodge Project, thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Lottery players, the Ffestiniog Railway Society and the FfWHR Trust.
 
The app has been designed with everyone’s enjoyment in mind, providing descriptive and historic information about stops and points of interest along the line, marking the passenger’s route as they go with a locomotive icon on the map.
 
Each railway also has three ’Out the Window’ games, where the whole family can spot things seen along the route. Watch out for a tank of rubber ducks as travelling through the forest between Penrhyn and Tan-y-Bwlch stations, Wagyu Cows, a herd of black cattle between Dinas and Waunfawr, trees and landmarks. There are also things to spot about the railway and the people who work on it.
 
FfWHR visitor experience manager, Stephen Greig said: “We want our visitors to enjoy a chat and the wonderful scenery. The app has been designed by our NLHF Project team to enhance the journey and to be a conversation starter.
 
“Our on-train staff and volunteers are always more than happy to tell passengers about our wonderful locations and railway, and may even help them spot that family of rubber ducks and the toy alligator who joined them last season!”
 
The app can be downloaded easily when visitors arrive for their journey, as every railway station along our lines has free Wi-Fi access. QR codes are available at check-in to take people straight to the download site.
 
The free ‘FfWHR Explore’ bilingual Welsh and English app is now available to download from either the Apple Store or Google Play Store.

The FfWHR Interpretation and Boston Lodge Project is due to open for tours this summer.

A busy year of wacky and wonderful outdoor activities in Llanwrtyd Wells, reputedly the smallest town in Britain, continues with the Welsh Open Stone Skimming Competition on Sunday, May 26.
 
The Mid Wales town has developed a reputation for organising a series of off the wall outdoor activities since 1980 under the leadership of Green Events.
 
Welsh Open Stone Skimming Competition starts at around 10.30am at the Manor Adventure Centre, with online entries at the Green Events website - https://www.green-events.co.uk - or on the day. Entrants must be eight years and above.
 
Next event on the Llanwrtyd Wells calendar is the famous Whole Earth Man v Horse  Race on June 8, which has a full entry list already. The event will be supported by refreshments, a bar and music.
 
Drovers’ Walks will be held on June 22 when walkers will follow in the footsteps of the drovers of old who used to drive their sheep, cattle, pigs and geese across the mountains to the market towns of England.
 
There is a choice of a 12 or 20 mile walk through the beautiful summer countryside around Llanwrtyd Wells. One of the checkpoints will be sited at the location of an old drovers' inn, which is re-opened for the day, serving locally brewed traditional ale and other refreshments.
 
August 10 is the date of the Cider Cycle, a sociable, non-competitive mountain bike ride over a marked course with the opportunity of sampling cider – and other drinks - along the route.
 
This route is suitable for all standards of mountain bike riders with challenges for the more experienced.
August Bank Holiday weekend, August 24 and 25, see two major events, beginning with the Chapel Bogathlon, a mud run crossed with a triathlon, which this year includes a 60 yard swim first, followed by a two mile mountain bike and a one mile run. All three disciplines are off road and involve mud and water.
 
Next day, Sunday, the Chapel World Bogsnorkelling Championships will be held, a mix of madness and effort. Competitors either compete to be the fastest snorkeller over 120 yards, with no arm strokes permitted, or to win the best costume category.
 
The current fastest time record is one minute 12.34 seconds, which was set in 2023. There are trophies in various categories and the event has refreshments, a bar and live music.
 
The Mid Wales Four Day Walking Festival will be held from September 18 to 21. Running since 1980, this festival attracts walkers from around the world with way-marked routes of 12 or 20 miles.
 
Later in the year, the Trailhead Get Jerky Devils Staircase ultra trail run will be held on October 5, covering around 30 miles over a very tough course. This endurance race has a total ascent and descent of about 4,700ft, starting and finishing at the Neuadd Arms in the centre of Llanwrtyd Wells.
 
The race route combines a mixture of tarmacadam road, forest tracks, bogland, farmland and river crossings.
 
The Ron Skilton Memorial Half Marathon, which is held to raise both awareness and funding for MNDA, will be held on October 20 over a tough and quite hilly course.
 
November 16 sees the Real Ale Wobble, a sociable, non-competitive mountain bike ride which involves the chance of sampling real ale en route. This event is suitable for all standard of riders with special sections for the more experienced.
The Real Ale Ramble, on November 23 and 24, is held annually in conjunction with the 10-day Mid Wales Beer Festival. The ramble begins from the Town Square and follows either of two waymarked routes of 12 or 20 miles and two guided routes of five and eight miles with free real ales available at checkpoints.

For full details of these and other events, visit www.green-events.co.uk , email [email protected]  or call 01591 610666 or 07856 357754.
 
Green Events is a member of MWT Cymru, an independent organisation representing around 600 tourism and hospitality business across Powys, Ceredigion and Southern Snowdonia.

Gregynog, one of Wales’ leading country houses and former home of art collectors and music lovers Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, is to host two music and dance events next week.
 
The picturesque venue, located at Tregynon, near Newtown, welcomes virtuoso violinist Ezo Sarici and her fellow Menuhin School graduate, guitarist Finlay Hay, on Monday, April 29 with tickets available for £15 at https://www.wegottickets.com/event/616557/ .
 
The brilliant musicians will perform ‘Two to Tango’, a programme including pieces by Astor Piazzola and Ana Carla Maza, a selection of tango and folk inspired music.

Ezo and Finlay requested to perform and generously donate the proceeds to Gregynog’s roof appeal in exchange for a night's accommodation.
 
Next day, Tuesday, Jones the Dance will take centre stage when they perform ‘Y Dewis’, a combined live and film experience, with tickets costing £12 or £9 for students and children at https://www.wegottickets.com/event/611055/ .
 
Jones the Dance used to be known as Gwyn Emberton Dance, named after Gwyn, an internationally acclaimed choreographer who grew up in Montgomery.
 
One hour before each 7pm show, Gregynog will run a short, fun dance workshop to give participants of all ages and abilities a chance to test their choreography skills.
 
A duo as schoolmates, Ezo and Finlay have reunited to share their musical heritage and passion. Together again for a brief series, they blend traditional melodies from their homelands with the sultry rhythms of tango, coming together for a harmonious celebration of a shared joy in music.
 
For more information about Gregynog, visit https://gregynog.org/ .

​The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) is to hold a business breakfast on May 3 to promote opportunities for Ceredigion based businesses and organisations at the 2024 Royal Welsh Show.
 
This event at University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter will be an opportunity for businesses in and around Ceredigion to make new connections with partners, suppliers and potential clients.
 
The breakfast will also be a chance to learn more about how businesses can get involved and work with the RWAS during Ceredigion’s year as the show’s feature county.
 
Attendees will hear from key RWAS officeholders, including chief executive Aled Rhys Jones, about the upcoming show, the charitable aims and objectives of the RWAS and the various sponsorship packages and retail opportunities available.
 
The event is free to attend and will take place in the Lloyd Thomas Dining Hall, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter Campus, from 9am to midday. Light breakfast refreshments will be included.
 
To register an interest and dietary requirements, businesses are asked to email [email protected] . Booking is first come, first served.

A project which aims to enhance visitor experience, increase revenue and sustain the natural beauty and environment of the Elan Valley has reached the final stage of its bid for Mid Wales Growth Deal funding.
 
The Elan Valley Lakes project, which aims to deliver a ‘flagship destination’ for the region, has had the green light from the Growing Mid Wales Board to advance a comprehensive full business case, the crucial final step required to secure funding.
 
Elan Valley Lakes project’s outline business case was approved by the board last Friday. However, the board cautioned that the decision to proceed at this stage does not guarantee that growth deal funding will be awarded. 
 
The project comprises six main components: Visitor Centre redevelopment and expansion; Sawmill development as a hub for water sports and events; high-quality accommodation, including glamping pods; upgrading footpaths and bike trails; woodland conservation management and green energy supply through connections to the hydro mains ring.
 
Martin Driscoll, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water’s director of business services and people  who is leading the Elan Valley Lakes project, said: "We are pleased that the project has reached such an important stage as we aspire to deliver a flagship destination in Mid Wales.
 
“We believe it will be key to achieving the growth deal's ‘strengthened tourism offer’ priority area. This project aims to enhance visitor experience, increase revenue and sustain the natural beauty and environment of the Elan Valley.
 
“We look forward to continuing to work with the Mid Wales Growth Deal team to make this happen."
 
A spokesperson for the Growing Mid Wales Board said: "We were pleased to approve the outline business case for this project. It’s an exciting milestone to be the first project to reach this step with the Mid Wales Growth Deal so far.
 
“There is a lot of work to do with Dŵr Cymru on the project, but we will do what we can to see the growth deal investment leveraged to its full potential and attract investment into the region to enhance and improve our tourism offer.
 
"Mid Wales is already on the map in terms of outdoor adventure. However, this investment could drive further improvements to the sector while keeping conservation and sustainability as key priorities.
 
“The creation of new facilities and assets will help draw in more varied visitors to Mid Wales, creating jobs directly. In the wider visitor economy, it will give people more reasons to visit and stay in Mid Wales, supporting a greater variety of jobs in the region’s leisure, retail and hospitality industry."
 
At full business case stage, the Elan Valley Lakes project will demonstrate that it is ready to enter into the procurement phase. This comes after thorough negotiations with potential service providers and suppliers, preceding the formal contract signings and procurement of goods and services.
 
Final approval at this stage is essential for the release of growth deal funding.

The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) has announced the new Rural Leadership Programme cohort of 12 for 2024-‘25.
 
Aimed at inspiring future agricultural leaders, the programme provides an action-packed course of training, mentoring, support and guidance over three intense sessions.
 
As part of the 2024-‘25 programme, delegates will have an opportunity to attend one of the most prestigious agricultural events in the world, the Commonwealth Agricultural Conference.
 
The 12 candidates are: Clare Brown, Cowbridge, agriculture and learning co-ordinator at Cenin Renewables; Lauren Evans, Bridgend, director of Fablas Ice Cream; Catrin Elin Hughes, Lampeter, receptionist and administrative assistant at Steffan Vets; Carwyn James, Pembrokeshire, general manager of Bibby Agriculture; Cennydd Owen Jones, Ceredigion, lecturer in agricultural grassland management at Aberystwyth University; William Nixon, Builth Wells, projects officer for Stonegate Farmers Ltd; Alys Probert, Herefordshire, agricultural lecturer at Holme Lacy College; Liz Rees, Brecon, regional manager of Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI); Fflur Roberts, Welshpool, agricultural lecturer at Hereford, Ludlow & North Shropshire College; Edward Swan, Mold, farm and butchery manager at Swans Farm Shop; Teleri Haf Thomas, Brecon, social media lead at Farming Connect Menter a Busnes and Carys Annwylyd Thomas, Llandeilo, county organiser for Carmarthenshire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs.
 
The Rural Leadership Programme is fully funded thanks to a generous legacy left by the late Mr N. Griffiths, match funded by the Glamorgan County Advisory Committee (2023 RWAS feature county).

Check if you’re eligible for funding now, before applications open in May 2024.
 
The Welsh Government’s Future-Proofing Fund will give micro, small and medium enterprises in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors up to £10,000 to invest in measures to future proof their business. The Fund is due to open mid-May.
 
An eligibility checker for the Fund has just been launched at: Eligibility checker
 
Webinars to support eligible businesses to fill out an application will be held during the next two weeks, see dates and book here: Future Proofing Fund Webinars
 
The Guidance Notes for the Fund are available here

Up to 80 show and event organisers from across Wales and influential speakers are due to attend a conference in Mid Wales next week.
 
The Agricultural Shows Conference of Wales will be held at the International Pavilion on the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells on Friday, April 26.
 
Supported by the  Association of Shows and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO) and the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS), the conference brings together representatives from Welsh agricultural, horticultural, equine and countryside events. They work together to share best practice between agricultural societies and related organisations.
 
The conference is a great opportunity for ASAO members to meet and discuss upcoming agricultural shows in Wales.
 
RWAS chief executive, Aled Rhys Jones will welcome delegates before Amy Smith from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), gives an update in a session chaired by Dafydd, RWAS vet.
 
Other morning speakers are Hannah Thomas, ITV Wales rural affairs correspondent, who will deliver a media session on protests, politics and the media, ASAO secretary Paul Hooper, who will provide an update.
 
The afternoon will see addresses from Caroline Westwood, senior lecturer in events management at Sheffield Hallam University and Dr Greg Langridge-Thomas, of Builth Wells Event Safety Group, who will speak about the changing roles and expectations of agricultural shows.
 
Jon Williams, Powys County Council’s economy projects support officer, will talk about grant funding opportunities in session chaired by Wales YFC chief executive Mared Rand Jones, followed by an open forum, chaired by Geraint James, RWAS Festival honorary director and closing remarks from Rachel Powell, RWAS head of operations.
 
The conference is sponsored by Event Operations Specialists (EOS), TICKETsrv, Fingers & Forks, Orion Print, Entrymaster and DCRS Radios.
 
Entrymaster offers online competition, event and registration solutions with bespoke software branded with your logo, to seamlessly connect with your website. DCRS services include the hire and sale of voice and data radio communication systems, bodycams and applications.
 
Register attendance for free at https://rwas.ticketsrv.co.uk/tickets/ASAO2024 .

To view the full event programme please go to the RWAS website: https://rwas.wales/whats-on/asao-agricultural-shows-conference-of-wales/ . For further information, contact Helen Evans at [email protected].