Thrilling programme for Royal Welsh Main Ring
More than a dozen attractions have been lined up for the main ring programme at the Royal Welsh Show at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, (July 20 – 23) and the entertainment will run until 8.30pm on the first three days finishing a little earlier on the final evening of the event.
The principal display, Le Pardon, will be presented by Jean Francois Pignon, one of the biggest international stars in the world of equestrian entertainment, whose spectacular performance thrilled visitors at the 2007 Royal Welsh Show. On that occasion he performed with six horses; this time 20 horses will be involved in the act which will be split into two shows, each lasting for one hour. The performances are scheduled daily for the early afternoon and evening.
A favourite with Royal Welsh crowds, Australian Matt Coulter, aka the Kangaroo Kid, is returning to the show for the first time since 2006. The professional quad bike rider and entertainer is known for his dare-devil quad bike jumps and thrilling stunts which have made him a household name.
The show will also provide visitors with a rare opportunity to see the only airworthy wartime Lancaster Bomber left in Britain take to the air. The bomber will perform a flypast over the main ring at Llanelwedd at 2.30pm on the second day of the show in memory of Dick Moseley, the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society’s honorary treasurer for 39 years, who served as a rear gunner in a Lancaster on 32 missions over Germany. Until 2002, the crew of his Lancaster who flew with 218 Gold Coast Squadron, were believed to be the only surviving air crew in Britain who served in the war under Bomber Command. Sadly, three of the crew have died but it is hoped that the pilot, Les Harlow DFC, and the three other surviving crewmen, will be present at the flypast to take the salute.
Among the popular attractions Meirion Owen and the Quack Pack; John Parker’s Royal Mail Coach with the Royal Welsh Lady Ambassador; a vintage machinery display staged by the Glamorgan Iron Horse Society and Neath Old Tractor and Commercial Club; the Black Mountains Falconry display; the Pony Club Mounted Games; the Inter Hunt Team Relay; the Royal Welsh Mounted Games Invitation World Championships; the Parade of Hounds and Harness Trotting.
Once again, the Bandstand on the showground will present a full programme of music throughout the four-day show with the Regimental Band of the Royal Welsh and several other easy-listening Welsh bands taking part.
Titan the Robot, who performed at the Royal Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival in May to popular acclaim, will also appear at the show and will provide three half-hour performances daily (11.00am, 1.30pm and 4.00pm) in the Forestry Section of the showground.
The 2010 Golden Shears World Championships are being held at the Royal Welsh Show in 2010 and top shearers from Wales will be competing this year not only for the leading prizes but also for the chance to represent Wales at the international event at Llanelwedd next year.
Two new climbing poles have been installed in the forestry area on the showground ready for the challenging pole-climbing contest. The poles, some 120 feet in length, were transported to Llanelwedd from Brechfa Forest in Carmarthenshire, a journey which took from 6.30am to 10.30pm, one that would normally take a lorry no more than two hours to complete.