Sioe Sir Gâr – in 2008

Sioe Sir Gâr - dydd Sadwrn 21 Mehefin 2008

Carmarthenshire County Show - Saturday 21 June 2008

The United Counties Agricultural Society – organisers of the annual show at Carmarthen Showground and The Welsh Dairy Show is going through a period of change and reconstruction – and plans to come out of this in 2008 with the show metamorphosised and improved into our own County Show – Carmarthenshire County Show - Sioe Sir Gâr.

“Things are moving on rapidly at Nantyci,” says Society chairman Lynn Davies, “and we all believe that moving to a county show for Carmarthenshire in 2008 is the right way forward. Next year, 2007, will be a particularly busy year on the Showground. The highlight will undoubtedly be the Urdd National Eisteddfod. This is a prestigious event and it is a great privilege for us to host it in Carmarthen . However, it’s proximity to our annual Show date, together with an ever increasing number of bookings on the Showground has led us to make the unprecedented decision not to run the United Counties Show in 2007. We anticipate a lot of remedial work having to be done to the showground in the aftermath of the Urdd Eisteddfod and furthermore, at the same time there is a strong likelihood that the main west-east showground roadway will be undergoing reconstruction to facilitate the new hotel/public house development”

“One year without a show provides a unique opportunity to concentrate our efforts on the new development on the showground, carry out necessary improvements, as well as giving us the much-needed chance reseed our main ring – something we have been planning for some years, but unable to slot in.”

The Showground will be hosting many more events in 2007 including a Caravan, Motorhome & Outdoor Pursuits Show and a huge Wedding Fair, in addition to the Urdd National Eisteddfod and the Honda Goldwing Club’s massive annual get together. The Show also provides a venue for many trade shows and seminars including, of course, the important major agricultural event The Welsh Dairy Show in October.

Meanwhile, the decision has already been made to establish the new show in June 2008 and the officers and staff will be concentrating on plans for this and, in the light of the pending development plans, consolidating its financial position for the future. Nine months is too short a period to put everything in place for such a new event and this has been a considerable part of the decision to skip a year in 2007.

The new Sioe Sir Gâr will take place in June – a spring event that will come early in the season, well before our friends in Pembrokeshire and Builth. We hope to see lots of really good quality entries early in the season as they prepare for the classes at The Royal Welsh and Royal of England Shows.”

“We are very excited about becoming officially what we have always been in fact – Carmarthen County Show,” adds Dai LLoyd , long time chief steward and now chairman of the Show Committee, “We will, of course, feel considerable sadness in the passing of the United Counties Show but the prospect of a show purely for our great agricultural county, and all the opportunities a brand new show brings, is a great and exciting challenge – and make no mistake, while we are going to create a show that all will enjoy; an agricultural core will be one of the legacies we will take on from the United Counties”.

Edward Perkins, next year’s president of the Royal Welsh Show, Pembrokeshire resident, and Finance director of the United Counties Agricultural Society is in complete agreement with the decision. “The new time of year, taking us away from the summer log jam of The Royal Welsh and Pembrokeshire County Shows will clearly be a benefit and although those of us who are involved with United Counties from outside Carmarthenshire are sad to split from it we have all pledged our support and agree that it is the best way forward.”

So, no show in 2007 but a year in which we plan to improve facilities on the showground in preparation for a great new County Show in the Spring of 2008 when we hope we can rely on the continued support of all our old friends and further support from new exhibitors and businesses from throughout the county.

Ymlaen Sioe Sir Gâr!