This year’s Royal Welsh Winter Fair in Mid Wales has attracted record cattle entries, with more than 350 stockmen competing for different agricultural prizes, say organisers.

The two-day event at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells started yesterday and will draw to a close later today with a livestock sale attended by buyers from across the UK.

The fair attracts about 25,000 visitors and its 300 trade stands are popular with Christmas shoppers.

Strong

More than 350 leading stockmen would have competed for prizes at the showground at this year’s event and organisers say there has been strong entries of sheep and pigs, and horse and pony numbers have reached 730, the highest number since 2004, and 71 more than last year.

Officials at The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, which stages the event, said that among the other highlights would be a poultry show involving about 1,000 birds.

Hundreds of visitors were expected to pour through the gates today with many taking the chance to do some Christmas shopping in the food halls.

One company hoping to take advantage of the event was Sarah Driver’s Little Jam Company based in New Radnor.

Miss Driver, 40, first started making jam to use up surplus fruit from her garden in the summer of 2008.

Now she makes up to a 1,000 jars a week and her business, The Little Jam Company, is going from strength to strength.

She now sells her creations at shops and farmers’ markets in Mid Wales, Shropshire and the Midlands.