AN alcohol recovery unit will be set up in the centre of Builth Wells during this year’s Royal Welsh Show week.

The town is preparing itself for its annual influx of visitors, from Sunday, July 21 with the four day Royal Welsh Show opening at the showground at neighbouring Llanelwedd on Monday.

The Strand Hall in the centre of Builth, and which is just across the river Wye from the showground, will be a Builth Wells Help Point. Thousands congregate in the town, especially during the evenings, during show week.

The Help Point will offer enhanced medical and welfare provision within the town all from one central location. It will have an alcohol recovery unit, staffed by St John Cymru, while Powys council youth workers, Dyfed-Powys Police and the volunteer Street Pastors will also be based at the centre.

The new measures this year follow initiatives introduced for the first time in 2018 following the tragic death of 19-year-old Powys young farmer James Corfield at the 2017 show. His body was discovered in the river Wye and it’s feared he had entered the river in an attempt to reach the young people’s village, in Llanelwedd, where he had been staying after spending the opening night in Builth.

Among the safety features returning this year are the ‘Green Route’ path from Builth town centre to the Royal Welsh Showground, Penmaenau Farm Campsite and the YFC Young People’s Village.

The path will be clearly sign-posted from the town to the various venues using finger-post signs. Existing public footpaths in the area will not be closed during the event and stewards will be on-hand at night to help direct show visitors from the town to the venues.

Details about the route will be highlighted on a local map and will be featured along with other show visitor information via the Royal Welsh Show app, available to download for free from the App Store and Google Play.

A temporary fence, funded by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, will again be erected between the Groe and the river to help improve safety. The fence will be put in place before the show and removed after the event.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service have provided water safety training to operational staff. Licenced premises have also received drug awareness and crowd management training delivered by CAIS, Kalediscope, and Dyfed-Powys Police.

A public survey following the 2018 improvements indicated that 86% of respondents felt the safety measures introduced increased public safety.

The Builth Wells Help Point is a result of innovative and close partnership working between Powys County Council, Dyfed-Powys Police, Powys Teaching Health Board, Builth Wells Town Council, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, and the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society.