FEATURE Royal Welsh Show ‘A VISION OF HOPE’ Highlights of Unite at this year’s Royal Welsh Show
The bluetongue virus may have put a slight damper on this year’s Royal Welsh Show, with restrictions on cattle entries to halt the spread of the disease. But this did not stop tens of thousands of people attending Wales’ biggest event near the market town of Builth Wells.
Unite’s stand once seen as a novelty, is now a firmly established presence at the Royal Welsh Show (RWS) – still the only trade union to have one.
Unite Wales political officer Pasty Turner told Landworker how far Unite’s presence at the show has come.
“When we first started in 2013, we were given a small patch of grass and my colleague Hannah and I sat at a tiny table – and we got rained on,” explained Pasty. “That’s when we decided we needed some cover. Over the years, we’ve gone from a gazebo to a trailer, to what we have now.”
Pasty points to the large tent that is now the seat of Unite’s presence at the Royal Welsh Show.
He explains that when they first started, they were placed in the retail area of the show. But Pasty convinced RWS organisers to place them in the agricultural section. Unite is, after all, Britain’s leading union for agricultural workers.
Landworker also spoke to Hannah Blythyn, who started Unite’s stand at the RWS alongside Pasty all those years ago. Previously employed by Unite, Hannah has been a Labour MS in the Welsh Parliament for the last 9 years.
Hannah likewise recalled the early years of Unite’s presence at the RWS.
“It was around the time that we were campaigning against the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board in England and Wales,” she said. “It was so important then to be supporting rural workers, just as it is now.”
Landworker caught up with Wales’ deputy first minister Huw Irranca- Davies, who also serves as cabinet secretary for climate change and rural affairs.
Huw updated us on the latest Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), which, as Landworker reported previously, was mired in controversy and sparked many protests.
But the Welsh Labour government listened to people’s concerns, went back to the drawing board and returned with a scheme that Huw said everyone can be proud of.
“It’s totally unique,” he said. “It’s the first time ever – not just in the UK, but all of Europe – that a ‘whole farm’ approach has been taken. It’s one that is focused on the environment and climate change, as well as high quality food production and viable businesses, with jobs that support rural communities, schools and public services as well.”
Visitors to Unite’s tent at the Show demonstrated the true breadth of diversity among rural communities, with people from all walks of life stopping to have a chat. Many highlighted the challenges facing rural areas.
Faith Story, 19, is studying law at a university in Aberystwyth. She described her town, where she was also born and raised, as being “in the middle of nowhere.
“For young people who come from small towns and villages, the biggest problem is lack of jobs,” she said. “When I finish university, I’ll probably have to leave if I want decent employment. It’s sad that young people are forced to leave their communities even if they want to stay.”
Firepower – blacksmith in action
Angela Moss
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