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Alpacas are just one of the many attractions at the Royal Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival.

SMALLHOLDERS and country enthusiasts from all over the UK will find a wealth of interesting and relevant attractions at the annual Royal Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival to be held on the weekend of May 17-18 at the RWAS showground in Builth Wells, Wales.

The Smallholder magazine, a sister title of the Salisbury Journal, first started the show in the 1990s and it quickly grew in popularity.

In 2001, the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society took over - and yet more attractions were added.

And, this year, there will be the usual well-loved events such as pig displays, goat shows, alpacas, cattle, sheep and many smallholder stalls.

The Farmers' Market has more stalls selling mouth-watering, locally-produced food from wine to cheese and honey.

Bee keeping, dog shows and vintage machinery should inspire many people, and there will even be an auction of vintage tractors on the Saturday. Free talks on how to get started in smallholding should prove invaluable, and the property roadshow will feature smallholdings for sale.

And to help get budding smallholders started there will be an auction of smallholding equipment such as poultry houses, tack and fencing, as well as live poultry on Saturday.

Innovative smallholders and farmers can share their solutions in the invention competition in the hope of winning a cash prize.

And the smallholder pentathlon competition isn't as energetic as it sounds and will feature five typical smallholder tasks.

Horticulture and floristy also feature in the show with prizewinning floral arrangements and, on, Sunday, there will be a "Garden Question Time" with some well-known television presenters.

New this year will be the Celtic dance festival offering workshops and displays, and children can have fun too on the "village green" where they can safely play and be entertained.

Tickets are £8 for adults and £3 for children, with those under four going free. There are also family tickets available.

Weekend caravanning and camping is available at £25 per pitch. Parking is free.

For information and tickets, call 08445 450532 or visit www.rwas.co.uk The Smallholder magazine can be obtained from leading newsagents, on subscription from www.smallholder.co.uk/subscribe or by calling 01823 365203.

11:26am Thursday 1st May 2008

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