THE most popular event of the Mid Wales calendar may not be going ahead for a second straight year, but Royal Welsh Show organisers hope the second virtual staging of the event will still capture the best of Welsh agriculture.

After the inevitable cancellation of the 2020 Royal Welsh Show due to the outbreak of coronavirus, it was hoped that the general control on the spread of the virus, including the positive rollout of the vaccination programme, since the start of the year would have led to the event returning, at least in some guise, this summer.

But show chiefs announced in January, with “deep regret and careful consideration”, that they had decided to cancel for a second successive year. The news came as a bitter blow to the local economy, as well as the thousands of visitors that descend on Builth Wells every July from across Wales and beyond, with Llanafanfawr county councillor David Price describing the Royal Welsh as a “huge part of the social fabric of Mid Wales”.

The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) are instead seeking to showcase the agricultural industry online again, with a week-long celebration from July 19-22 planned, and are looking forward to educating people about the value of agriculture and local produce, share knowledge within the industry around best practice and discuss the latest topics within the agricultural sector.

The RWAS disappointingly announced in January that the 2021 Royal Welsh Show would not go ahead due to the pandemic, but hope the virtual event that was created to showcase the event last year will be a success.

The society, in partnership with other key organisations, will ensure that all sections of the show offer an experience to newcomers and bring back memories to those that would usually be spending a week-long celebration of agriculture in the Llanelwedd sunshine. This year’s virtual show will be laid out in a similar format for all to enjoy. The society is indebted to Business News Wales for creating this vital tool which will enable society events to be broadcast to all across the globe.

“The success of last year’s Virtual Royal Welsh Show showed the potential that technology and modern communications offer events, such as ours,” said RWAS chief executive Steve Hughson.

“Of course, we never expected to have to cancel two consecutive shows, however as we are in that position, we feel that once again we want to create a different version of the virtual show to celebrate the event and allow everyone a taste of what we are all missing.

“I hope you enjoy this digital offering and we look forward to welcoming you all back to the Royal Welsh Showground when restrictions allow.”

The virtual show will be launched on July 19, as well as being featured on the society's social media channels, where followers will be able to enjoy an array of informative videos that will be on offer during Show Week. The society would like everyone to get involved and encourage exhibitors, traders, members and anyone who has attended the show to share their memories to showcase what the event means to them.

Not only will the show offer a platform for partners to get involved but will also expose key issues and topics which will be discussed throughout the week, educating the public about agriculture and the environment. With more and more visitors to rural areas of Wales it is inevitable for the society to take a leading role in ensuring the correct messages are explained to those wanting to enjoy their time in the Welsh countryside. Many award winners will also be announced throughout the week, celebrating stand-out university students to those who are notable within the agricultural sector in Wales.

Previous sponsors and traders of society events have been emailed information regarding ways they can get involved with this year’s virtual show. If you or an organisation that you are part of would like to get involved in the week-long celebration, contact the RWAS at https://rwas.wales/.