JULY 26, 2010: The Royal Welsh Show ended its four-day run at Llanelwedd with the fourth highest attendance since it settled at Builth Wells 47 years ago.
Neither rain nor the recession deterred the crowds bound for the showground and when 70,613 people passed through the gates on the third day it was clear the show would be yet another triumph for the RWAS. By the time the gates closed on Thursday 231,346 visitors had attended the event. The figures were boosted by the contestants and their supporters from 28 nations taking part in the World Sheep Shearing Championships which returned to the Royal Welsh for the first time since 1994. Nearly 1000 overseas visitors from 40 countries also signed in at the showground’s International Pavilion led by 191 from New Zealand and 143 from Germany. The chairman of the Royal Welsh board, David Lewis, described the show as a fantastic success although torrential rain on the second day again resulted in surface damage to the main ring. Resurfacing the ring to eliminate the problem would be the main project for the coming year, a scheme which would cost around half a million pounds, he said. There were over 1000 trade stands on the showground and many reported brisk business as cash machines dispensed money to eager shoppers at the rate of over �300,000 a day. The society also welcomed a surge of new members during the show taking the total membership to around 18,000.
