The Spring Festival in Wales this weekend is THE big event for smallholders, and Country Smallholding will be there

Country Smallholding will have a major presence at the Royal Welsh Spring Festival at Builth Wells this weekend (May 20-21). In addition to our stand, we will be hosting Speakers’ Corner in the Smallholding Centre.

Speakers’ Corner will be compered by CS and Guardian writer Kim Stoddart, who has a smallholding in Wales, and there will be a fascinating programme of presentations.

Kim said: “It will have an interactive focus with plenty of conversation, questions and answer sessions and debate. We’ve got an excellent line-up of experts this year talking about everything from the ins and outs of chicken and pig keeping, through to woodland set-up and management. One Planet Living will be taking part in conversation on the realities of sustainable, accessible smallholdings and the practicalities of planning legislation and many of our writers will be on hand to answer questions in the Smallholders’ Question Time session on both days.

“It really is an excellent opportunity for smallholders, or anyone thinking about growing some of their own food, or keeping livestock to find out all they need to know. I’ll be running an interactive Q & A session myself on the Sunday, revealing some of my time and money saving tricks and techniques to help put the fun back into a spot of grow-your-own. There will also be the unique opportunity to enter a competition to win one of two places on one of my gardening courses at my smallholding in beautiful West Wales. We hope to see you there!”

The Spring Festival is a fantastic celebration of smallholding and rural life and offers an action-packed programme of entertainment, have-a-go educational activities, talks, workshops, displays and performances. With more than 1,300 livestock and horses on display, hundreds of trade stands, the only Premier Open Dog Show held in Wales, children’s activities, a food and drink quarter, the Royal Welsh Trail Running Festival, vintage machinery, gardening, auction, country leisure and much more, the event has something for everyone.

MORE: www.rwas.wales/spring-festival/

SPEAKERS’ CORNER PROGRAMME

SMALLHOLDING CENTRE

(Next to the main arena)

SATURDAY

11am: Setting up and running an organic veg business. Nathan Richards.

12 noon: Dogs on the smallholding. Experts discuss.

2pm: Pigs and working with restaurants.

Sam Gray.

3pm: Keeping chickens. Andy Cawthray.

4pm: Smallholders’ Question Time.

SUNDAY

11am: New Sustainable Smallholdings. Erica Thompson, One Planet Council.

12pm: Smallholders’ Question Time.

1.30pm: Woodland Set-up and Management.

Ruth Pybus.

2.30pm: A Smallholder’s Tale. Diversification and social media. Francis Nesbitt.

3.30pm: Grow your Own the Easy Way. Q&A session with Kim Stoddart.

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