FINE weather for Gwenddwr Show has been legendary for as long as most people can remember, but after weeks of sunshine the heavens opened this weekend to provide challenging conditions for the 2018 Show.
However, adversity can bring out the best spirit of neighbourliness, and this was amply illustrated in the community response. One of the catering tents blew into the hedge on Friday night and a dozen men were there first thing on Saturday morning to retrieve it. Show officials from neighbouring Erwood brought their own marquee as extra wet weather provision, a kindness much appreciated in Gwenddwr.
In opening the show the president Bob Earnshaw, spoke of the welcome he and his family received on first moving here, and suggested that the country as a whole could learn from the warmth and inclusivity of the local community. This year’s Show Queen was Alice Atkins, whose grandmother and stalwart of the show Verona Atkins discharged herself from hospital for the day in order to be there, to everyone’s delight. Alice wore a stunning royal blue dress, while her young attendants Emma Banks and Charlie Deane were smart in toning pink and blue outfits.
The Erwood marquee did sterling work as shelter for the Carnival which this year had a particularly large number of ingenious entries, ranging from young Sherlock Holmes, Worzel Gummidge and Abraham Lincoln lookalikes to several large family groups dressed with flair and humour. ‘Miss Fidget Spinner’ Lily Fergusson was the deserving Overall Winner. ‘Meet the Babies’ then introduced the public to the Carnival stars of the future, all equally cute and charming. In the marquee there was the usual range of high-quality entries to be enjoyed. Particularly admired in the Flower Section were the Miniature Arrangements, while in the Craft ‘Something New From Something Old’ aroused great interest, the eventual winning entry being a pair of bookends made of scrap iron. The children’s classes are always well-supported, the Overall Winner trophy this year going jointly to Neve Powell and Nia Wilson, and Neve also won the cup for the Mair Winfield Poetry Competition. Other trophies in the marquee were awarded to Louise Mackenzie (Craft), Freda James (Flowers), Sandra Davies (Cookery), Fred Jones (Children’s Cookery) and Colin Claridge (Garden Produce).
New quarantine regulations meant that sheep classes had fewer entries than usual, but the pair of Blue-faced Leicester theave lambs entered by Owen Jones were judged worthy winners of the All Breeds Perpetual Championship Trophy. In the pony field, owners and animals braved the elements, Donna Jones and Yvonne Abberley taking the Perpetual Challenge awards for Welsh Mountain and ‘Other than Welsh Mountain’ sections respectively. Because of the weather it was agreed that it would be fairest to abandon the Ridden Section this year. The additional marquee continued to come into its own as a venue for the Companion Dog Show, where the Overall Pedigree Champion was named as Pippa, the whippet owned by Joan Hamar, while Jo Wilson’s labrador Olive won the Champion Exhibit Trophy for the Novelty classes.
The usual high-quality catering was provided by the Wheelwright Arms and the heavy showers encouraged visitors to congregate in the marquees to chat and have a drink together. The weekend may have been stormy but the overall success of the day demonstrates how a community pulling together can meet and overcome the most trying of challenges.
Once again Gwenddwr Show has proved that even a small village can offer a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable afternoon out for everyone, whatever the weather.