A Gwynedd hill farmer is celebrating after winning a “fantastic” new trailer.
Dafydd M Jones, who farms at Coed-Cae, Llanymawddwy, claimed the brand new Q8 trailer worth more than £1,300 after his ticket was picked in a raffle to raise funds for the Royal Welsh Show.
The trailer was donated by Ifor Williams Trailers and was originally unveiled at the 2015 Royal Welsh Show with tickets being sold at county agricultural shows throughout the year.
Richard Jones, the Bala and Dolgellau auctioneer, was named this year’s president of the Royal Welsh Show and Merionethshire was chosen as the sponsor county for the year.
The trailer was presented to Dafydd at the Meirioneth County Show held at the Rhug estate in Corwen – just down the road from where the trailer was made at the Ifor Williams Trailers factory.
Richard Jones, better known as Dic Auctioneer, said: “As the sponsor county it is our role to raise funds for the Royal Welsh Show and our project this year was to improve the water system not just for this year but going forward into the future.
“I’m delighted with the support shown by Ifor Williams Trailers and the raffle’s other sponsors. There were around 12 main prizes but the Q8 trailer was clearly the top prize.”
He added: “I’m not yet sure how much we raised in total but it was a substantial sum of money and I’m really grateful to everyone who sold tickets, bought tickets or supported us in any way whatsoever.”
Dafydd M Jones, who was born on Coed-Cae farm and took over the reins from his dad, says winning the brand new Q8 trailer is going to make his working life a lot easier.
He said: “To be honest I bought lots of tickets as did my wife, Adele. We bought some at the launch at the Royal Welsh Show and then were given some to sell ourselves. We sold some and bought a few more. I wouldn’t like to say how many we bought to be honest!
“However, we didn’t buy them in the hope of winning the trailer so much as to support the Royal Welsh Show which is a very important event so far as our industry is concerned.”
He added: “I heard we’d won the trailer when my daughter, Gwenllian, who works in insurance at the NFU in Dollgellau, found out we’d won and rang me up to tell us the good news.”
Dafydd, who has a flock of more than a 1,000 ewes and also keeps some cattle, said: “It will make life so much easier for me. I do have a large Ifor Williams trailer but if I’m just taking a few lambs to market I can now use the smaller trailer and leave the big one at home.
“It’s a fantastic prize and I’m thrilled to have won the trailer and also happy to have supported the Royal Welsh Show.”
He added: “My other daughter, Delyth, is a vet down in South Wales, at Bridgend, while my wife, Adele, who works as a technician at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, are really pleased too. It’s a fantastic prize.”
Ifor Williams Trailers spokesman Iorwerth Roberts, says the company is delighted to have been able to support the Royal Welsh Show’s fundraising.
He said: “The trailer was put up as a raffle prize as the old county of Merionethshire was the sponsor county for 2016 for the Royal Welsh Show including the Winter Fair and Spring Show.
“We were delighted to be able to donate the trailer and tickets have been sold at every county show throughout the year. The draw took place at this year’s Royal Welsh Show in July.
“I’m thrilled Dafydd, who is already an Ifor Williams Trailer customer, won the raffle especially as he, and his family, sold so many raffle tickets and raised a good sum of money themselves.
“Dafydd is a hard-working hill farmer and I’m sure the Q8 trailer is going to give him years of good service.”
