A FEW people have asked me why the annual Wonderwool Wales festival has been split from the Royal Welsh Smallholders Festival, Builth Wells.
The two events were, after all, a perfect fit.
“Now I’m going to have to make two trips down south instead of one,” wailed a grumpy smallholder.
Wonderwool Wales was staged last weekend, alongside a new event, the Big Wales Mouthful. Both were arranged by Glasu, the Powys rural re-generation agency.
Some 5,000 people made the trip to the Royal Welsh showground, including the mother-in-law en route from organising the Wool Cup at the Jacob Sheep Society’s annual knees-up.
Glasu launched Wonderwool Wales three years ago with European Objective One money.
Initially the event was twinned with the Royal Welsh Smallholder Festival, traditionally held in mid May. Co-incidentally or not, festival attendances rose 20% each year as coachloads of knitters, felters and stitched poured in.
With the EU cash due to dry up, Glasu had to make a decision for Wonderwool 2008: either squeeze more money from the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, hand over control to the society or break away and establish a standalone festival.
Talks lasted several months. Glasu was unwilling to hand over control because it didn’t feel the society would “do justice” to the festival. In turn the RWAS said it could not split gate money because its ticketing systems would not allow it.
So Wonderwool was on its own. Glasu insists the split was perfectly amiable and the RWAS offered an olive branch by twinning a new folk dance festival with its smallholders event.
Most smallholders are sniffy - “dancing?” - but at least the clog and bells brigade are happy.
