Llandeilo businessman and brewery owner Simon Buckley says traders in Llandeilo will be sorry to see the Welsh Game Fair leave its traditional home at Gelli Aur in the Tywi Valley.
But he remains buoyant that the move of the game fair to the Nantyci showground site just outside Carmarthen will not damage Llandeilo’s economy.
Mr Buckley, chief executive of the Evan-Evans brewery, said: “The Llandeilo stretch of the Tywi Valley has a long association with the game fair event.
“In the past, the game fair has been an important part of the list of annual summer events.
“In more recent times, due to bad weather, and the ever-increasing entry cost, the numbers of people associated with the game fair visiting Llandeilo seems to have dropped away.
“The show had become rather tired, with no new innovations.
“We are sorry to see it go, but there are new events planned for Llandeilo that will more than adequately replace it.
“We wish them well for their new site and their plans for the future.
“Somehow, the Nantyci showground in Carmarthen will not have the same feel that the Tywi Valley and Gelli Aur has. It will be interesting to see what they do.
“I remain confident that it will have little economic impact on Llandeilo, as this is a bustling, thriving and charismatic town with a charm of its own.
“Llandeilo is an attraction in its own right. There are also plenty of summer events planned to keep casual visitors interested.”
The switch to Nantyci has been described as a major coup for Carmarthen.
The event moves from Gelli Aur for the first time since it started in 1986. Carmarthen business leaders said they are relishing welcoming the show to the town over the weekend of June 16 and 17.
They hope the town can capitalise on the move, with the thousands who head to the fair in turn spending their money in local shops and businesses. Carmarthen Chamber of Trade and Commerce discussed the move at last week’s meeting.
Treasurer John Nash said: “This is a great move for the show ground to be hosting the fair.
“As a chamber we should be making sure the town benefits from the Game Fair coming here.”
Mr Nash added: “We need to ensure that visitors to the Game Fair, know that the town is within easy reach.
“Whether that means coming up with a marketing plan to advertise the town in the coming months or simply us as traders being on the gate with flyers and copies of the town map.
“Either way we have to make sure Carmarthen town centre sees the benefits of the game fair coming to Nantyci.”
Ellis Davies, treasurer of the United Counties Agricultural Society, which runs the showground said: “Being able to host the game fair at Nantyci proves that the showground is attracting top events over the coming months.
“It is in a prime location on the edge of Carmarthen and served by the A40 dual carriageway.”
He added: “We have close links with the county’s tourism association and are going to be in talks with them about marketing the event.”
