Cooking demonstration by top local chefs and ready steady cook competitions YFC style will keep visitors to the Farmers’ Union of Wales stand at Anglesey county show (August 11-12) entertained this year.

Ellis Barrie of Marram Grass and Gert Vos of Oren are kick-starting the cooking demonstrations at 10.15am on the Tuesday of the show (August 11) and will be showing off their skills continuously throughout the two-day event.

The first Ready, Steady, Cook! competition, in YFC style, will commence at 11.15am with the boys and the girls will start the second round on Wednesday at 11.45pm at the FUW stand.

“We are very excited to promote our fantastic Welsh food here at the Anglesey show and welcome visitors to join us for the two-day show, have a chat, drink a cup of tea and have a piece of cake with us,” said FUW Anglesey county executive officer Heidi Williams.

Dog obedience training and advice as well as a demonstration by Heather Gordon and Margaret will put the spot light on responsible dog ownership on Wednesday of the show (August 12).

“The second day of the show will focus strongly on dog training and obedience. The FUW is continuing with its support for the ‘take the lead’ campaign as well and we are encouraging visitors to the show not to miss out on the workshops,” added Mrs Williams.

Children will not be forgotten at the show either and are invited to come by the stand on both days for a special food tasting session.

There will also be a raffle and Davis Meade and Gamlins solicitors will be at the stand for both days.

[caption id="attachment_5580" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Kay Williams[/caption]

A new area officer has joined the FUW Insurance Services team for North Montgomeryshire to replace David Lush, who has recently been promoted to business development manager.

Kay Williams, who grew up on a hill farm in the Guilsfield / Welshpool area, now lives in Four Crosses with her partner and 2 children. She has around 14 years’ experience in the insurance industry, having worked locally for a commercial insurance broker.

“This is a great opportunity for me and I am looking forward to getting to know my new customers and hope to become a trusted area officer in North Montgomeryshire for FUW Insurance Services”, said Miss Williams.

Kay will work at the FUW county office in Newtown and will be present at Welshpool livestock market on Mondays to deal with and address any insurance needs.

FUW Insurance Services managing director Mark Roberts said: “These are very exciting times for FUW Insurance Services and we are looking forward to working with energetic, experienced and skilled people like Kay to drive the business forward.”

“Existing and new customers wishing to contact me about any Insurance issues they may have can reach me in the Newtown office on 01686 623093; my mobile 07583 411362 or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,” added Miss Williams.

[caption id="attachment_5554" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Cowbridge livestock market.[/caption]

The Glamorgan branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales is throwing its full support behind plans to refurbish the building of the Cowbridge livestock market, which includes the retention of the existing livestock market, at the Vale of Glamorgan show (August 12).

The Vale Market Community Enterprise Group (VMCE) will be displaying plans and designs of the new Cowbridge livestock market at the FUW stand and the union is encouraging as many people as possible to view the current plans.

“The previous Vale of Glamorgan Council intended to sell the site to private developers in the past but thanks to the combined effort of the VMCE and local farmers, we have been able to secure its future.

“It is, however, essential for us to make sure that there is enough public support for the livestock market refurbishment via public funding and that’s why we urge the public to come and talk to us about the market here at the show,” said FUW Glamorgan county executive officer Rachel Saunders.

Crime Reduction Tactical Advisor for the police in Bridgend and the Vale, Deborah Elward, will also be at the FUW stand to demonstrate devices that can prevent crime on farms.

“Given the announced reduction in social and welfare payments in the last budget and considering the current economic climate, we could see an increase in farm thefts. I would encourage our members to talk to Deborah at the show to get the latest update on what measures they can take to protect their farms and property,” added Mrs Saunders.

The FUW is extending a warm welcome to all its members to join the county staff at the show to discuss policy matters and support the counties 200 club raffle.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has joined forces with Cynefin and is showcasing maps, which include the Eisteddfod grounds, along with documents depicting information about the fields such as their historic names, during this year’s National Eisteddfod (August 1-8) and other agricultural and county shows.

Cynefin is an innovative HLF (Heritage Lottery Fund) funded project that aims to digitise all of the tithe maps of Wales.

The project is eager to get the people of Wales involved in transcribing the tithe maps and their associated schedules which name land owners and occupiers, land uses and field names.

“Interestingly, the way field names were recorded in the 1840s for tithe purposes can be compared to the way in which field names are recorded today as part of the SAF/RPW online process,” said Cynefin project manager Einion Gruffudd.

 “We look forward to working with the Cynefin project throughout the rest of the show season by displaying a variety of tithe maps throughout our Welsh agricultural shows and are encouraging visitors to our stand to help transcribe them,” said FUW director of policy Dr Nick Fenwick. 

 “A new exhibition - Y Lle Hanes – will also feature at the Eisteddfod this year and is dedicated to local history.

 “At this local history exhibition, visitors will be able to view several tithe maps from Montgomeryshire, including a large tithe map composition of the Meifod area, which has been merged from smaller parish and township maps with the help of local volunteers. 

“Eisteddfod-goers will also be able to see how tithe maps can help us learn about the lost villages and houses of Wales,” added Mr Gruffudd.

At the National Library of Wales stand in the Eisteddfod, parts of Llanycil and Llanfor tithe maps will be displayed to show the land that was drowned in 1965 to create Llyn Celyn reservoir.