July
THE Royal Welsh Show opened at Llanelwedd and the UK government’s environment secretary came with the message Brexit should hold no fears for farmers.
Micahel Gove, who toured the showground on its opening day, said Welsh farmers should be assured a trade deal would be struck between Britain and the European Union.
But political rivals said there was still much uncertainty over future trading relations and farmers expressed fears they could lose out.
Elsewhere on the showground Australian stuntman Matt Coulter came flying off his quad bike after attempting to jump a dumper truck in the main ring.
The Kangaroo Kid was airlifted to hospital but returned to the showground that same week. He said: “The ambulance people said to me they thought I’d broken my humerus bone, I said it’s not very funny.”
PRINCE Charles was welcomed to Brecon’s Regimental Museum by South African Elliot Nigubane in full Zulu dress.
Elliot showed the Prince the Museum’s Zulu war room during the visit when he also learned more about its Never Forget Your Welsh Heroes project that traces the history of those from Wales who’ve served through letters, diaries and postcards.
BRECON High School’s Welsh language stream won a last minute reprieve.
Councillors had agreed in March to close the stream from September with the decision due to be rubber stamped. But a campaign persuaded the new council administration to keep a Welsh language stream in Brecon.
COUNTY Hall was hit by controversy when it was revealed Powys council had paid £28,000 for a brand new Audi A6 for its chairman Cllr Dai Davies. The council said a disability meant he was unable to drive a Skoda normally used for civic functions.
August
HELENA Jones was inducted into the Gorsedd of the Bards at the National Eisteddfod – a year after performing at the event just weeks before her 100th birthday. Helena, of Brecon, is thought to be the oldest person to ever compete on the stage at the Eisteddfod, was honoured at special ceremony in Anglesey.
BRECON’s revived Jazz Festival was hailed a success. It had been feared the festival, which celebrated its 34th year, would close after the 2015 event – but supporters rallied round to stage a smaller scale jazz weekend in 2016.
New promoters came on board for 2017 and also restored the popular live music stage in the Bulwark.
Brecon also celebrated its link with the Zulu nation in South Africa. A host of events were staged in the town showcasing Zulu and South African culture while dancers in traditional costume brought the town to a halt with an impromptu performance.
The Greenman Festival, at Glanusk Estate in Crickhowell, marked its 15th year with a headline slot from PJ Harvey.
THE World Athletics Championships in London prompted former PE teacher Margaret Edwards to recall how one of Britain’s greatest ever athletes joined Brecon Athletics Club at the prime of his career.
Colin Jackson, now a pundit during the BBC’s track and field coverage, joined the club after Margaret half heartedly suggested it to him in 1991 when her daughter, promising youth hurdler Bethan, was training with the Welsh sprint hurdler.
“I remember one day Colin was saying he needed to find a new club after he fell out with Cardiff. I jokingly said ‘why don’t you join Brecon?’ and he said ‘why not’.”
Club stalwart Derek Osborne recalled how Jackson set new league records for the 100m and 110m hurdles, which still stand today, when he made his debut for the club at its Penlan base in the Welsh league.
PRIME MINISTER Theresa May made a flying visit to Powys. She met youngsters from England who were taking part in a citizenship course at an outdoor education centre in Glasbury-on-Wye and Welsh Conservatives at a party function at Llangoed Hall Hotel in Llyswen.
September
THE Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, John Davies, was elected as the 13th Archbishop of Wales – the first from the diocese. A Church in Wales electoral college met for almost two days behind locked doors at Holy Trinity
Church in Llandrindod Wells to elect a new leader of Wales’ Anglican communion.
The former solicitor, who became a bishop in 2008 at Brecon Cathedral where he’d previously been the dean, said: “I’m very pleased that at last there is somebody from the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon as the Archbishop of Wales.”
AN AUSTRALIAN tourist, who described himself as an avid follower of Welsh kings, returned a stone he’d taken from Abbey Cwmhir – where the body of Llywelyn the last prince of Wales is believed to be buried. the stone was posted to the abbey anonymously by the tourist who’d taken it believing it would bring him good luck – but said he’d only had bad luck since taking it.
RHAYADER hosted a day of events to welcome the Queen’s Baton relay which was touring the UK on its journey to the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. The baton left Christ College, in Brecon, and was greeted with a street festival in Rhayader.
ONE of the last World War II Spitfire pilots was honoured with a fly past by one of the famous planes at his funeral. Nigel Rose had been a squadron leader in the RAF and his funeral was held at Llanigon the village where he’d lived for more than 50 years before moving to nearby Hay-on-Wye four years ago.
October
VILLAGERS in Cwmdu launched a drive to try and raise £275,000 to buy their local pub.
The current owners of the Farmers Arms are keen to sell and local residents want to see how much interest there is local people clubbing together to buy the pub.
MUM Katie Edwards gave birth to her third child, Albert Henry, in the front seat of her car.
Mother-in-law Barbara had rushed the 33-year-old to Brecon War Memorial Hospital but little Albert Henry made his arrival before Katie could even get out of passenger seat of her Audi A4. “I pulled my trousers down and there was the head right there,” said Katie whose first baby was also delivered by paramedics after she was snowed in at her parents farmhouse above Brecon in January 2013.
STEVE SEBBURN returned to Brecon after competing at the Invictus Games in Toronto.
The former soldier, who suffered serious injury during a military training incident, battled sickness to compete in the multi-sport games for injured military personnel after being rushed to hospital.
Steve also met the event’s founder and patron Prince Harry while in Canada.
A SWORD was removed from a stone at Llangors Lake – prompting speculation the true king of Britain had visited.
The sword handle was protruding from a rock beside the lake which was once home to the ancients kings of Brycheiniog. According to legend whoever can remove Excalibur, the sword of King Arthur, from the rock it rests in is the true king of Britain.
An internet crowd funding page raised money to replace the sword that had been placed in the rock by Garnet Davies of the Lakeside Caravan Park as an attraction for children.
November
JOANNA LUMLEY made sure Brecon’s festive season was absolutely fabulous when she turned on the Christmas Lights.
Brecon Town Council had invited the actress to add some star appeal to its outdoor Christmas market and celebrate the town’s link with the Gurkha Regiment.
She met members of the Nepalese community and toured the town centre including the market hall,.
Brecon wasn’t the only town with star appeal. Hollywood actor Michael Sheen turned the lights on in Ystradgynlais while Little Britain star Matt Lucas did the honours in Hay-on-Wye where he also spoke at the winter weekend festival.
EAGLE Owl Sox made a break for freedom after being snatched by thieves – and flew home.
The 14-month-old owl was taken from a locked shed at owner Randall Carey’s home in Lanfihangel nant Melan.
But a day after Randall, and partner Jacqui Kane, discovered her missing and reported it to the police, Sox re-appeared at their home.
Randall said: “Someone had definitely taken her but to get her back is fantastic.”
BRECON’S new library, art gallery and museum moved a step closer when a “topping out” ceremony was held to mark the completion of the structure’s steel frame.
Workmen tied a tree to the new building’s highest point to mark the milestone.
The attraction, named Y Gaer, is due to open in the spring when the 177-year-old grade II listed Brecknock Museum will also re-open.
RESIDENTS in a Brecon Beacons village joined together to find funding to erect a mast so they could receive a broadband internet connection. Villagers in Crai, near Sennybridge, had struggled with painfully slow speeds but the mast allows a faster connection to be beamed to the village which householders can receive for a £30 monthly tariff.
December
POLICE who rushed to reports of an accident near Clyro found a hoard of stolen goods in a crashed van.
Among the items found were power tools, four bicycles, children’s outdoor toys and even designer watches. Police asked victims of burglaries to come forward to help identify the items.
A HOME improvement store launched its own Christmas advert which proved an internet hit.
Hafod Hardware in Rhayader made the video for just £7 and was compared favourably with the slick productions produced by retailing giants such as John Lewis whose advert cost a reported £7 million.
The online ad was the brainchild of 28-year-old Tom Jones, whose grandparents own the family business, and his pal, film-maker Josh Holdaway. It stared Tom making deliveries on a motorbike around the Elan Valley before sitting down to enjoy Christmas morning with his 10-month-old son, Arthur Lewis.
AN overturned lorry closed a main road when it spilled its load of potatoes and brought down power cables.
The A483 through Llanelwedd was closed for most of the day after the lorry which had been taking potatoes to Pembrokeshire overturned at the bend, near the Royal Welsh Showground, and brought down the wall of the nearby vicarage with the potatoes spilling into the garden.