A message from the Chief Executive, Mr Steve Hughson
Despite the challenges we are currently facing, the staff and trustees are committed to supporting the Society through this unprecedented time. Last week should have been the Society’s 2020 Annual General Meeting at Coed Coch, Dolwen, the home of our President, Harry Fetherstonhaugh. Despite the decision to cancel this year’s Royal Welsh Show, which included the postponement of all Feature County activities such as the AGM, I am sure that Clwyd, Glamorgan and Ceredigion, (which will now be in 2023) are working hard behind the scenes to support the Society. Our thoughts are with you all.
The support of our members has never been more important. With very little income and ongoing expenditure commitments, your membership subscriptions are an important part of our survival plan. In addition to routine maintenance, the Society is committed to finishing a major project to refurbish the main toilet block near the cattle ring. The cost of these works exceeds £200,000. People compare this crisis to Foot and Mouth, but it is much worse than that! We thank our members for their continued generosity.
This year’s Journal has been finalised and is being printed and should be on your doorsteps within a few weeks. Despite the ongoing challenges facing the event sector, the Journal is full of colourful memories of another successful year and we must remain focussed and work hard to ensure we return to those days as soon as it is safe to do so. This year’s edition also contains vouchers, kindly donated by many of our traders and sponsors. We appreciate their support.
The Society is supporting the fight against COVID 19 and has worked with the Local Teaching Health Board and Local Authority to set up a testing facility on the Showground. I also sit on the Welsh Government COVID 19 Taskforce where it is important we share the views and challenges faces by the Tourism, Leisure, Hospitality and event sectors. We were one of the first to be affected by the lockdown and as it stands we will be the last to recover, as there are no plans for mass gatherings to re start anytime soon.
We are doing everything we can to protect this society in order to safeguard it’s future. We have placed the majority of our staff on ‘furlough’ and taken advantage of the various government support schemes. We have cut back all non-essential expenditure and looking at new ways of operating. The Society recently held its Finance Committee meeting on Microsoft Teams. That was a first!
We are also looking at the concept of a virtual on-line event in the run up to and during Royal Welsh week. We will share more information on this concept soon, however this on-line event will include entertainment, education and nostalgia with people able to share their favourite memories of the Show. We also hope to have a full calendar of events during show week and are already working with key partners to create an informative and action packed four days. Watch this space and please share any of your long lasting memories of the show with us.
So despite the challenges, we will not stand still and watch things happen around us. We must seize the initiative and work differently within whatever this ‘new normality’ might look like to shape and secure the future of our Society for the next 100 years.
Visit: rwas.wales
