The Ffestiniog and Eryri Railway is celebrating receiving the stamp of approval from the Welsh Language Commissioner.
 
The Welsh Offer, the commissioner Efa Gruffudd Jones’ official recognition, is given to organisations that have collaborated to plan ambitious Welsh language provision.
 
The Ffestiniog Railway is the world's oldest narrow gauge railway with almost 200 years of history. Its historic trains take customers on a journey full of wonderful views from the harbour at Porthmadog to the slate quarry town of Blaenau Ffestiniog.
 
The Welsh Highland Railway is the UK's longest heritage railway and runs for 25 miles from Caernarfon, past the foot of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and the village of Beddgelert, then through the Aberglaslyn Pass and on to Porthmadog.
 
Osian Hughes, Ffestiniog Railway’s marketing lead, said: "We are delighted to receive the approval of the Welsh Offer from the commissioner's office. This is an extremely significant achievement for the railway and we are determined to continue to improve and develop our Welsh Offer further.
 
“There is a strong Welsh culture in the area we work in and, as an organisation, we value the language and culture of Wales. The Welsh Offer makes us more relevant and helps us display pride in the Welsh language."
 
Efa Gruffudd Jones said: "It's nice to see that the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways are being ambitious with the Welsh language services they offer. We are very proud that they dedicate themselves to ensuring that the Welsh language is seen and used every day by the staff and with their customers.
 
“The Welsh Offer is a great opportunity for organisations of all kinds to raise awareness of their Welsh language services. This will lead to an increase in the use of services and enable more people to live in Welsh.”
 
The Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways will be present at the Llŷn and Eifionydd National Eisteddfod with their 'Lilla' engine and carriages on display at the Boduan site from August 5-12.
 
More information about the Welsh Offer is available at: https://www.welshlanguagecommissioner.wales/businesses-and-charities/cynnig-cymraeg .

With the school holidays now in full swing, Visit Wales has joined with AdventureSmart Wales to launch a campaign to show people how to enjoy Wales’ outdoors safely over the weeks ahead.

As people venture out to explore Wales, landscapes and coasts this summer, the Addo (to promise) campaign asks people to plan ahead and prepare for every new adventure. The campaign which involves targeted promotion on social media, digital radio and spotify will show that a moment of thought before venturing out can lead to a positive and safe experience.
​
You can read the full press release at: Make a promise to enjoy Wales safely this summer | GOV.WALES

• Official protection granted to Single Malt Welsh Whisky
• Single Malt Welsh Whisky is Wales’ first GI spirit
• In the Welsh Wind Single Malt Welsh Whisky champions Welsh grown and malted barley, and green malt

 
Welsh distilleries are celebrating the announcement that Single Malt Welsh Whisky, which has been produced in Wales since 2005, is now officially protected with PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) UK GI status.
 
Four Welsh distilleries were part of the final application for PGI status – the result of a year on year increase in demand for Single Malt Welsh Whisky.
 
Each distillery involved in the PGI application has its own unique selling points when it comes to Single Malt Welsh Whisky. Mid Wales-based In the Welsh Wind Distillery is championing local barley and advocating a more sustainable approach to production.
 
The team at In the Welsh Wind, based near Cardigan, sources barley grown within 10 miles of the coastal distillery and use water from a bore hole on site. The distillery has pioneered an in-house malting process and uses green malt rather than kilned grain to produce its spirit. 
 
Co-owner and director, Ellen Wakelam said: “The announcement of the Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI status is a great milestone for us and recognises the hard work put in by all the distilleries involved.
 
“Not only does it place Single Malt Welsh Whisky within the wider Welsh GI family of iconic products, giving consumers an understanding of the provenance and integrity of the product they are buying, it also contributes to Food Tourism and Welsh Food Heritage, both of which are incredibly important to Wales.

“Our own ‘Welsh Origin Whisky’ sits firmly within the Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI status. The processes we’ve developed over the last couple of years to ensure all aspects of production take place here in Wales have allowed us to reduce the amount of energy we use in our own whisky production.
 
“Excitingly, research we’re carrying out with the Open University suggests that our local barley and on-site malting combines to produce a whisky that will have a flavour profile unique to the area of Wales where the barley is grown.“
 
Welsh Government Minister for Rural Affairs, North Wales and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths, said: “It is brilliant news Single Malt Welsh Whisky has joined the Welsh GI family with its name now protected.
 
“The Welsh Whisky industry continues to go from strength to strength, playing an important role in the food and drink sector here in Wales. I am very pleased for all those involved in gaining this prestigious status, ensuring this fantastic product gains the recognition and prestige it deserves.”
 
The UK GI scheme, established in 2021 following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, ensures that certain food and drink products can continue to receive legal protection against imitation and misuse. 
 
This is the first new UK spirit to achieve GI status since the UK GI was launched. Single Malt Welsh Whisky is also Wales’ first GI spirit and joins the likes of Anglesey Sea Salt PDO, PGI Welsh Lamb and Welsh Leeks PGI in the Welsh GI family of products.

Pupils at St Padarn’s Primary School visited Ceredigion Museum in Aberystwyth recently to take part in a thought-provoking project; Perthyn (belonging to/possessing).
 
During the past year, the museum has been working on Perthyn, a major community engagement project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, exploring how shared values might help build bridges between Ceredigion’s various communities.
 
Year five and six pupils from St Padarn’s Primary School joined Perthyn community liaison officers Kim James-Williams and Cath Sherrell at the museum earlier this year for a lively session looking at objects related to ‘faith’, which are usually in storage.
 
The children learnt how to handle museum objects carefully, wearing protective gloves and asked questions about what the objects are made of, what they were for and where they came from.
 
The collection included Tao Buddhist statues brought back by seafarer captain Richard Richards of Ship Builder’s Row, Aberystwyth (now South Road), replica Druidic divination spoons found at Castell Nadolig and a tiny Quran brought to Wales after World War Two.
 
The pupils had an opportunity to discuss, explore and prioritise their values in life through group activities. For St Padarns’ children, themes such as ‘protecting the environment’, ‘family security’, ‘equality’ and ‘broadminded’ emerged.
 
A pupil said: “I think that being helpful is the most important thing, because if everyone is kind, then everything just works better.”
 
Carrie Canham, museum curator, said: “We want to find out what matters to people in Ceredigion, why and how the museum’s collections can reflect their values. We want to identify any gaps there may be so our collection remains relevant to both current and future communities in Ceredigion.”
 
The museum collections team has been assessing, recording and cataloguing items from the stores.
 
Councillor Catrin M. S. Davies, Ceredigion County Council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure and customers, said: “It is clear that the staff of the Perthyn project have benefited from the young pupils' mature conversations about social values.
 
“It is great to see that visiting the museum and having the opportunity to treat objects of different faiths and beliefs, has inspired pupils and motivated them to think about social values."
 
Carrie added: “Several diverse groups from Ceredigion have taken part in a lively series of pilot workshops. People have been so generous with their time and enthusiastically engaged with discussions on values, faith and Ceredigion Museum’s collection.
 
“Everyone found objects to relate to, whether they identified as having a faith or not and often, to their surprise, people have discovered that they share their fundamental values in life. We really do have more in common than we might think.”
 
The museum is open from 10am until 5pm Monday to Friday. More information on the project can be found by searching for Perthyn on https://ceredigionmuseum.wales/.
 
The museum is a member of MWT Cymru, an independent company representing more than 600 tourism, visitor attraction and hospitality businesses across Ceredigion, Powys and Southern Snowdonia.

Two Mid Wales farmers are included in a shortlist of three for the coveted Sir Bryner Jones Memorial Award, which this year focuses on an Net Zero ambition within their farming business.
 
The flagship award from the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) will be presented at the Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells on Monday, the opening day of the four-day event which celebrates the best of Welsh and British agriculture.
 
The shortlisted finalists are: Edward Vaughan of Sychtyn, Llanerfyl, near Llanfair Caereinion, Ben Williams of Greenway Farm, Llanhamlach, Brecon and Dylan Jones of Castellior, Anglesey.
  
Sir Bryner Jones helped shape the direction of the RWAS for 50 years, was Agricultural Commissioner for Wales and subsequently became Welsh Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture. He was Royal Welsh Show president in 1954, the RWAS’ Golden Jubilee year.
 
Since 1957 the award has been made annually to someone from a different area of the farming industry who has reached the highest level of achievement in the chosen sector. The Net Zero ambition is RWAS’ desire to leave the world a better place.
 
“We had the privilege of visiting eight outstanding businesses throughout Wales,” said the judges Tom Allison, RWAS board member and Alex Lockton, RenewEV.

“Many of this year's entries demonstrated a clear understanding of the commercial and carbon economics of their farm, a circular approach to self-sufficiency and a clear objective in leaving a sustainable legacy for their family.
 
“This has been both the most challenging and inspiring evaluation process with which we’ve ever been involved. There is not one visit which did not teach us something to share with others and we encourage those entrants to share their ideas with each other and in their wider local communities.”
 
Sychtyn Farm has transitioned a flock of 1,500 mule ewes from lambing inside and intensively managed to outside via Easycare breed without any concentrate feed. The Vaughan family has continental and native suckler cows producing quick-growing cattle from grass, finished from home-grown forage crops.
 
More than 2,000 metres of new hedges have been planted in the last three years and 10 acres of peat bog have been fenced to exclude livestock and help store carbon. Organic matter with the soils has been dramatically increased by replacing compound fertiliser with digestate.
 
In 2021, Edward created a new company to supply electricity direct from the farm via wind power to more than 100 homes within the local community, with plans to also supply businesses in the near future.
  
Greenway Farm is a highly productive 450-acre mixed farm, finishing 250 dairy bred cattle with a flock of 600 ewes and 205 acres of arable crops compromising wheat, oil seed rape, beans, spring barley and cover crops. 
 
Focussing on direct drilling and zero tillage since 2008, Ben runs productive and efficient paddock grazing grassland. To achieve the end goal of Net Zero, Greenway Farm has been measuring soil organic matter over the last 10 years and has managed a 2% increase. The farm also has 83.6 kw of solar PV with more planned this year. 
 
Castellior is an 800-acre farm on Anglesey that finishes 1,500 cattle through a completely self-sufficient, low-carbon feeding system that is near to its net zero goal.
 
The farm chooses pastures that lock nitrogen in the ground, concentrates on soil health and manure management, thereby reducing the use of chemical fertilizers, measures cattle performance through the use of digital software and experiments with barley crop growth.

The winner will be announced in the RWAS Council Enclosure on the first day of the show, Monday, July 24, at 2.30pm. The winner’s medal is sponsored by Gareth Roberts, a member of the RWAS Board of Directors.

Popular BBC Radio 2 presenter and author, Sara Cox will be judging at the Royal Welsh Show next week alongside her father, Len.
 
Sara, host of BBC Radio 2 drivetime show every weekday, will help to judge the Interbreed Beef Young Handler competition at the show on Wednesday.
 
“I’m so excited to be returning to the show ring alongside my darling dad,” said Sara. “Some of my happiest childhood memories are of loading up his cattle and heading off to the summer shows.
 
“To be asked to help judge at such a huge and prestigious show as the Royal Welsh is a real honour. I’m nervous and thrilled in equal measure, and looking forward to enjoying all that the show has to offer whilst taking in the glorious Welsh countryside.”
 
The Interbreed Beef Young Handler competition judges the ability of the handler to control and show the cattle in the ring. Competing young handlers can be from 14-26 years of age.
 
Sara and her father will be looking for the best handler of the cattle, not the quality of the cattle. However, the animals on display must be shown in their best condition. Awards, cash prizes and rosettes are all up for grabs for the champion and reserve champion.
 
Experienced judge Len has bred pedigree Polled Herefords for more than 40 years on his farm in Bolton. He shows his Masefield Herefords with great success at local shows including Bury, Garstang, Cheshire, The Royal Lancashire and The Great Yorkshire.
 
Sara hosts the BBC Radio 2 drivetime show every weekday and has presented a number of television and radio shows during her career. Her recent television credits include Love in the Countryside, The Great Pottery Throw Down and she currently presents the book review programme Between the Covers which returns for a seventh series this autumn.
 
Her memoir ‘Till the Cows Come Home: A Lancashire Childhood’, talks with great fondness about her life as a farmer’s daughter, including attending agricultural shows with her dad, Leonard Cox. Her debut novel ‘Thrown’ is out now and both books were Sunday Times bestsellers.
 
A great animal lover, Sara now lives in North London with her family, along with three dogs, two cats, two tortoises and an Irish sports horse.
 
Now in its 102nd year, the Royal Welsh Show takes place from July 24-27 at Builth Wells. The action packed, four-day event celebrates not only food and farming, but culture, diversity, the Welsh language and a love for the land.
 
Thousands of animals and exhibitors will compete in the judging rings, hoping to go home with a much-coveted Royal Welsh rosette.
 
For more information about the 2023 Royal Welsh Show, or to purchase tickets head to our website: https://rwas.wales/royal-welsh/

Horse owners travelled from as far as Wrexham and across Mid Wales to attend a captivating talk and workshop by experienced equine body worker Suz Crichton-Stuart at a tourism and equine holidays business.
 
Suz, who runs A Holistic Solution, Clyro, near Hay on Wye, teaches Equine Touch from her own yard and takes it across Wales to help horses and their owners.
 
She paid a visit to Brandy House Farm, Felindre, near Knighton - www.brandyhousefarm.co.uk -  to treat some of  Medina Brock’s resident horses and stayed on to give a workshop on ‘Neurology 101 - the hidden key to horse health’.
 
Guests holidaying at Brandy House Farm with their horses joined visitors in the audience to meet Suz, who is qualified in Equine Touch, craniosacral therapy, equine myofascial release and reiki.
 
“Modern, conscientious horse people are fantastic at observing how their feed, tack, environment and training affects their horse’s physical wellbeing,” said Suz, who explained how the horse’s organs and nervous system fit into holistic treatment.
 
Medina said: “Suz gave us a user-friendly insight into how considering the nerve pathways of our horses can give answers into issues like tendon injuries, lumbar spine stiffness and spookiness.
 
“One guest said it was rare to find someone able to deliver complex anatomical information in a way that was so easy to understand.”
 
Niki Taylor, resident equine body worker at Brandy House, added: “It was a fascinating topic and Suz did a great job at presenting it to body workers and horse owners alike.”
 
The workshop resulted in £80 being raised for Wales air Ambulance and Horses4Health.
 
Another event planned at Brandy House is a Think Like A Pony summer camp from August 14-20, run by Sophie Hildreth who transforms the lives of troubled ponies and teaches horsemanship to families. On August 16, Suz will be returning to give a hands-on ‘From teeth to tail’ talk for both adults and children.
 
Brandy House Farm provides cottage accommodation, POD camping, glamping and wild camping. The business encourages customers to bring their horses with them on holiday, as it offers on-site DIY livery, nine stables and individual turnout paddocks.
 
“Running these events all adds to the holiday experience at Brandy House Farm,” said Medina. “We have had guests come specially to see a saddle fitter, for a clinic or for body work session.
 
“Although we are best known for our amazing riding here in Mid Wales, we ensure that there are other things to do as well.”
 
Brandy House Farm is a member of MWT Cymru, an independent company representing more than 600 tourism and hospitality businesses across Powys, Ceredigion and Southern Snowdonia.

A series of safety measures including a campaign encouraging youngsters to ‘Have Fun, Take Care and Stay Safe’ will return ahead of next week’s Royal Welsh Show.
 
The campaign will see a series of posters, banners and other media displayed at licenced premises and throughout Builth Wells during show week, July 24-27, encouraging people to behave responsibly in a creative and humorous way.
 
The campaign is being implemented by Builth Wells Events Safety Group, formed in 2017 and led by Powys County Council. It aims to reduce public risk and improve the safety of those in and around Builth Wells during the period of show.
 
Safety measures that will be in place include:
•           Safe walking route known as the Green Route.
•           Medical and wellbeing centre, known as the Help Point, operated by St John Cymru from the Strand Hall.
•           ‘Pop up’ Help Point providing guidance and welfare support, operated by Powys County Council’s Youth Service from the Grove.
•           Welfare support to be provided by street pastors and youth workers at night.
•           Free water donated by Radnor Hills and
•           Drug amnesty boxes placed on approaches to venues in and around Builth Wells.
 
Cllr Richard Church, Powys County Council's cabinet member for a Safer Powys, said: “The Royal Welsh Show is a highlight in many people’s calendars and draws in tens of thousands of visitors to Builth Wells and the surrounding area every year.
 
“Following the launch of the ‘Have Fun, Take Care, Stay Safe’ campaign last year, it’s great to see that it’s returning for this year’s show as a humorous way to communicate an important message for those in and around Builth Wells during Royal Welsh Show week.
 
“Of course, we want our visitors to have a great time. It’s a social occasion and a perfect opportunity to meet up with those you may not have seen for a while, but please drink and behave responsibly and look after yourselves and your friends.
 
“As long as people ‘Have Fun, Take Care and Stay Safe’ then they will have a memorable time during Royal Welsh Show week.
 
"We understand that some of the measures that will be in place may cause some disruption for residents living in Builth Wells. However, they are necessary to ensure we keep visitors and residents safe throughout Royal Welsh Show week."
 
Aled Rhys Jones, Royal Welsh Agricultural Society chief executive, said: “We want every visitor to have a safe and enjoyable time when visiting the Royal Welsh Show and surrounding areas.
 
“As event organisers, our priority is to create a safe and welcoming environment and we are pleased to work closely with the Builth Wells Events Safety Group in ensuring that measures are put in place to provide security and reassurance for all.
 
“We thank the group for all their work as we look forward to yet another memorable show.”
 
William Watkins, managing director of Radnor Hills, Wales’ leading soft drinks manufacturer, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the Royal Welsh Show again and to be providing this historic agricultural show with our bottles of water.
 
“The events safety group do a fantastic job every year in keeping everyone safe at the show and we’re proud that our exceptionally pure spring water, which is sourced and bottled just miles from the show, will be keeping them refreshed.”

An important Welsh Marches visitor attraction is appealing for votes as it bids to win this year’s prestigious UK Garden of the Year Award.
 
Hergest Croft Gardens, Kington, one of the UK’s most important horticultural sites, is one of six gardens shortlisted for the prestigious award, organised by the Historic Houses Association and sponsored by Christie's.
 
The award will be presented to the garden which receives the most online votes by August 31. To vote for Hergest Croft and to see all the shortlisted gardens, visit https://www.historichouses.org/vote-for-garden-of-the-year-2023/ .
 
The winning garden will be announced at the Historic Houses annual meeting in November. The national award recognises the importance of some of the country’s most spectacular gardens with outstanding horticultural and public appeal.
 
Attracting more than 18,000 visitors annually, Hergest Croft Gardens - https://www.hergest.co.uk/ - are open daily until Sunday, October 29 from 11.30am to 5pm.
 
With stunning views towards the Black Mountains and next to Offa's Dyke Path, the gardens contain more than 5,000 rare trees and shrubs. Created over 120 years by five generations of the Banks family, the 70-acre garden holds the National Collection of Maples, Birches and Zelkovas, plus more than 80 Champion Trees.
 
Described as "one of the finest collections of trees and shrubs in the British Isles", Hergest Croft Gardens have six distinct areas - Hergest Croft, the Azalea Garden, the Maple Grove, the Kitchen Garden, the Park and Park Wood.
 
“We are absolutely thrilled and delighted to be shortlisted with some of the finest gardens in the country." said Austyn Hallworth, head of marketing and public relations for Hergest Croft Gardens.
 
“The hard work now begins as we need to generate in excess of 4,000 votes to win before the closing date at the end of the summer. We are appealing to all of our lovely visitors and friends of the garden, to spend just a minute or two of their time to go on line and vote for Hergest Croft Gardens!
 
“It is so important to us and if we win, it will bring significant footfall to the gardens and the surrounding economy.”
 
Hergest Croft Gardens is a member of MWT Cymru, an independent company representing more than 600 tourism and hospitality businesses across Powys, The Welsh Marches, Ceredigion and Southern Snowdonia.